Revenge is BitterSweet
by Death By Kunai
Summary: Why aren't you protecting your villiage?"
1. The Stranger

**Chapter 1: The Stranger**

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all related characters are copyright Mashashi Kishimoto. The mysterious person in black is copyright me!

The long black cloak swirled around the ankles of black boots. The dark figure was clad entirely in the colour, it's hood obscuring it's face. The only pieces of flesh visible were slender fingers clenched into determined fists.

Konohamaru was sitting in the shade of a tree when he saw the stranger come up the quiet road. _What kind of person wears all black on suck a friggin' hot day?_ he thought to himself.

"Excuse me," said the stranger, walking up to him, "could you please direct me to the warehouse where Python was based?" It was a female's voice, low and with a heavy accent.

"I-it's in the northern district, b-but why would you want to go there? That's where all the gangs hang out!" Konohamaru tried to hide the fear in his voice.

The stranger stared at him for a moment. "Thank you," she finally said, and walked off in the indicated direction.

Konohamaru watched the figure disappear over a hill. _Odd, I couldn't see her face..._ The boy shivered as he remembered the twin glints from unseen eyes. _Wait a minute... She didn't have any village markings!_ He stood there a moment before...

"NARUTO!" He ran off in search of his idol.

The energetic blond was found arguing about something pointless with Sasuke. (Something about the chemicals in table salt. Sasuke said it was made up of poisonous elements but Naruto simply couldn't believe it.)

"But if it was poisonous, why are we still here?"

"_Because_ ï¾ " Sasuke was about to launch into a lengthy explanation about acids and bases when Konohamaru busted in.

"Naruto! _There'sthiswierdgirlandshedidn'thaveanyvilliagemarkings_breath_andshewantedtoknowwherePythonhadbeenbased_breath_soItoldherthenIcamestraighttoyou!_"

Sasuke looked at the kid and blinked. _What did he just say?_ But Naruto seemed to understand.

"What? What did she look like?" he asked his one-time groupie.

"_Icouldn'tseeherfacebutsheworeablackcloakandblackbootsandblackpantsandablackshirtandtherewasblacknettingonherarmsandshehadawieredaccent!_" The boy stopped and gasped for breath.

"All right, we'll tell Kakashi! We were on our way to meet him, anyway! C'mon Sasuke!" With that, Naruto dashed off.

"You understood what that kid said?" Sasuke asked when he caught up with his team mate.

"Yeah, didn't you?"

Sakura was already under the tree that was their meeting place when Naruto and Sasuke arrived. Kakashi was - of course - nowhere to be seen.

"WHERE HAVE YOU _BEEN_!" She yelled the moment she saw her comrades in arms. "You're an hour and a half _late_!"

The guys skidded to a halt in front of her. "We are?" Sasuke asked.

"Never mind that!" exclaimed Naruto, "We were discussing things of utmost importanceï¾ " Here he was interrupted by Sakura's "I doubt that!" "ï¾ when Konohamaru shows up!

"You mean that annoying little kid who used to follow you around everywhere?"

"Yeah, him." Naruto then recited what his friend had said word-for-word, though allot slower.

"So _that's_ what the kid said, all I could hear was black!" Sasuke commented.

"Well we cant just run off without Kakashi knowing, but he should be here soon!" Sakura said, "When he shows up you can tell him what you told me!"

**One hour later**

"Hey you guys!" Kakashi said, striding up to his cell, "A funny thing happened on the way here, I had sudden amnesia!" He paused for Sakura and Naruto to groan. Sasuke stared at him with a blank expression. "No, seriously! First I couldn't remember where the meeting place was, then I couldn't remember why I was meeting there, then I couldn't remember who you were and by that time I was on the other side of the village!" He smiled sweetly as Sakura and Naruto yelled at him and Sasuke stared blankly.

"... And of _course_ you're even later than usual the day Naruto gets information about an unidentified traveler asking about Python!" Sakura finished her rant and glared at her teacher.

"A stranger asking about Python!" Kakashi's smile disappeared as his brows knit together. "Tell me all you know."

Naruto retold Konohamaru's description. As he did, Kakashi's eyes got darker.

Probably a miss-informed shi-tappa!" he reasoned, "Python hasn't been around for a year at least... All right! Lesson's canceled! Let's investigate this stranger!"

**Author's Note: **I _hate_ this chapter! It gets better! Really! Know what else I hate? Typing Konohamaru's name! Ack! I did it again! Also, I apologize for making Sasuke seem out of character in my pursuit of trying to be funny!


	2. The Fight

**Chapter 2: The Fight**

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. The mysterious person in black is copyright me!

Nothing. There was nothing. Not even a foot print.

_Well duh,_ she thought to herself, _they've been gone for over a year!_ She had searched the main hangar thoroughly and hadn't found a shred of evidence indicating as to where her prey was now. Try as she might to hold it down, she felt a wave of despair threaten to take her. "BAKA!" she screamed, hearing her voice reverberate or the rusty roof beams.

Kakashi opened the door to the main hanger of the abandoned warehouse. The beam of daylight fell upon a figure shrouded in black. The head turned, but a tunnel-like hood prevented a face from being seen

"Who are you?" Kakashi demanded, "State your village name, and your business!"

"I do not have a village," came the reply, "and my business is none of yours."

"It's my business if you threaten my village." Kakashi retorted.

The stranger turned right around to face him, one hand resting on her hip. It was clear she did not see him, flanked by three more strong ninja, as a threat.

"But you _don't_ know my business, so you _couldn't_ know if I'm a threat or not."

"State your business and you won't get hurt." Sasuke drawled tonelessly.

"Hn. I seriously doubt you could hurt me."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and smirked. "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

The girl laughed quietly, "I don't think you know _what_ your dealing with."

_What did she mean by that?_ Sakura wondered. Naruto seemed surprised at the statement as well.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke scoffed, "You're not human?"

She didn't reply, but slowly pulled off her hood. She wore a black mask like Kakashi. Dark brown hair streaked with silver fell into her eyes and over a headband that was... blank? Her eyes were lined with dark paint that seemed to run down her cheeks like tears until they disappeared under her mask. The eyes themselves seemed to be changing colour, alternating between a yellow and an orange, glinting with gold sparks.

"Why don't you fight me and find out?" She said her eyes practically blazing.

"I wouldn't want to hurt you too bad." Sasuke replied.

The girl's eyes exploded with red and gold. "I'd love to see you try." She said dangerously as she unclasped her cloak and let it fall to the ground beside her.

Konohamaru's description fir her perfectly. She wore a long-sleeved shirt and pants. Netting encased her arms and there were bandages wrapped around her hands. The re was a sporting a pouch around her waist and a kunai strapped to her right thigh. A katana was sheathed on her back. Like everything else, it was black.

"After you," Sasuke said, going into fighting stance.

"I insist," came the reply.

"Just _fight_ already!" Naruto cried, exasperated.

Sasuke ran at the girl, pulling his fist back as he did and threw a punch at her. She grabbed his wrist easily and flipped him over her shoulder. Naruto laughed at the shocked look on his teammate's face as he stood up.

"Okay..." Sasuke said as he dusted his pants off. _How did she do that?_ he thought to himself. But there wasn't time to think about it as his opponent began circling him. They did this until he thought he saw an opening and tried a kick to the back of her legs. She blocked him, though, and he found himself on the ground again. Naruto was laughing uncontrollably, but Sasuke took no notice as he lashed out his leg to knock the girl off her feet. Somehow, she jumped his kick and did a flip right over him.

"Are you just gonna dodge and block, or are you gonna fight?" He asked her, getting up again.

"If you say so," she said, her eyes now a light purple flecked with silver.

They spent the next few minutes trading blows and blocks until the girl jumped up and gave Sasuke a spinning kick to the side of the head. He looked at her in amazement as her crashed to the ground for the third time. Naruto had stopped laughing and was now standing wide-eyed and open-mouthed, mirroring Sakura's expression. They stared as the girl seemed to stay suspended in the air for a few seconds before twisting her back and landing on all fours, one leg stretched out to the side.

Sasuke wiped off the blood from a cut lip as he stood. As his opponent unwound her braid from around her neck, his eyes turned crimson. She looked at him with a start.

"You're an Uchiha," she said tonelessly. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"That's right," he replied, "Shall we?"

"Of course," Her eyes turned a deep maroon.

"What's with her eyes?" Naruto asked Sakura.

"I don't know," she answered, furrowing her brow, "It looks just like the Sharingan!"

As Sasuke and the girl continued their clash, he began to realize something. _My Sharingan doesn't have any effect on her!_ He looked at her eyes, they were identical to his, except a different colour. Wait... Her eyes were spinning the opposite direction of his!

_That must negate the effect of my Sharingan!_ he thought. Knowing it was useless, he disengaged it.

The girls eyes had distracted him, and when she saw this she began hitting harder and faster. Sasuke was soon battered up against the wall. With one fluid motion, she drew her katana and held the point to his throat. There was a look of utter disbelief on his face and he was breathing heavy.

"Kill me quickly," he said, admitting defeat.

Sakura screamed as Kakashi tensed, ready to pounce; but there was no need. The girl snorted and let her blade fall to her side.

"Why should I kill you?" She asked, "I got kill point, that's good enough. I don't kill for pleasure, you know. Besides," she added, sheathing her katana, "killing you would be a waste of a talented fighter." Her eyes were bright blue, and from what he could tell, she was smiling.

"Please understand," she said turning to Kakashi, "I am not a threat to your village. All I want is any information on the whereabouts of Python."

"I haven't heard anything about Python in over a yea," he answered, "But our Hokage might have some information."

"Would you please take me to him?"

He nodded. "By the way, I'm Hatake Kakashi, and these are my students, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruna Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke. If you won't tell us your village, could we at least know your name?"

"I'm Quidam, though some called me Youko,"

" 'Youko'," said Sakura, "Demon?"

"The chose the name well," Sasuke said, "you sure as hell fight like one."

"You flatter me," Quidam said, picking up her cloak, "I'm only half."

**Author's Note:** Okay, please tell me if you like the whole fighting scene! The chapters will get a bit longer, don't worry! It just seems like there's so much more when you write it out on paper, you know?

_Big_ thank-you to **Arrow of Hikaru**, my one (and only) reviewer! You don't know _how_ much that one little word boosted my confidence in this story!

**Quidam's Eye Colours:**

Yellow orange Intrest/intregue

Red-gold Anger

Purple Amusmant

Blue Happiness/contentment


	3. The Not So Stranger

**Chapter 3: The Not-So-Stranger**

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

"Aren't you hot, wearing all that black?" Naruto asked Quidam as they walked to the Hokage's office. She nodded

"Yep!" Her cloak was draped over her arm and her pack slung over one shoulder.

"Why do you wear it all, then?" Sakura wondered.

"When I'm alone I don't. But people _normally_ leave me alone if I look all dark and evil."

"Do you travel alone?" Sasuke's question was greeted with a nod. "Why?" No answer.

"Here we are!" Kakashi broke the silence as they came to a semi-ornate building. Two doors opened to reveal a stone floor with a carpeted walkway leading up to a large desk and chair. Huge cloths hung from the ceiling to the walls. An older man sat on the chair, a pipe clamped in the side of his mouth. The few people in the hall turned at the sound of the opening doors.

All eyes were on Quidam as she walked behind Kakashi. One man glared at her, two others whispered together. She guessed they were of the same rank as Kakashi, their clothing was all the same.

"Kakashi," the Hokage acknowledged the ninja.

"Lord Hokage, I bring you ...um... You know what? I'm gonna let you introduce yourself." he stepped behind Quidam.

She took a step forward and bent at the waist, her arms against the thighs. There were whispers of surprise as she did this, but she ignored them.

"My Lord Hokage," she said, still bowing, "My name is Quidam, I come from the far west."

"God, child! You don't have to bow!" She glanced up at the village leader. He was looking at her with surprise.

"Oh!" She stood up quickly. A snicker came from somewhere to her right. Her eyes began flashing different colours randomly and quickly.

"What's your rank?" the Hokage asked, clearly unnerved by her eyes.

"Jonin," she replied without expression. There were gasps and more whispers.

"How old are you?"

"... Eighteen."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I think you'd find my real age harder to believe."

"Child, how are you?"

"Sixteen," The word was quiet, almost ashamed.

"She's a year younger than us!" Sakura whispered.

Though many found her rank and age impossible, the Hokage didn't seem surprised.

"If you are Jonin," he said, "Why aren't you protecting your village?"

Quidam's eyes snapped to unfathomable black as her hands balled into fists. "There's nothing left to protect." she said through clenched teeth. The hall was silent, not even a fly buzzed.

"What is your country?" he finally asked, "Why is your head band blank?"

She didn't say anything, but went through her backpack before pulling out another headband. She stared at it for a moment before tossing it to the Hokage. The leader's eyes grew wide when he saw the sign etched into the mirror: a single, straight line.

"You - you're from Death?" If the room had been quiet before, it was nothing compared to it now. Quidam didn't answer, but shut her eyes and continued to look away.

"Where's Death?" Naruto whispered to Sakura. She shrugged.

"I can understand that your village is gone if this is your country," the Hokage said.

"The habitants of my country had nothing to do with by village being leveled!" Quidam said angrily. She was looking at him again, her red eyes practically on fire.

"Then who did it?"

"It was Mamba, the leader of Python. He was helped by ... by Uchiha Itachi."

Naruto and Sakura looked at Sasuke. He had gone white and was standing very rigid.

"I came here looking for information as to where Python was now." Quidam continued, "I know they had owned a business here once and thought I might find something."

"What would you do once you find Mamba?"

"Kill him." Her eyes flashed to a crimson so dark it was almost black.

"I'm sorry, but if you came to ask me for answers, I have none to give you."

Her eyes slowly turned a grayish green as her hopes plummeted. She felt she would have slumped down and cried if she had been alone. Instead, she stood there for a moment before thanking the Hokage, bowing slightly, then walked out of the hall.

Quidam had been wandering aimlessly for fifteen minutes before she realized she had left her marked headband with the Hokage. She kicked herself for forgetting it. Looking around to get her bearings, she realized she was lost.

"Dammit! This is a friggn' _city_, not a village!" She shouted, punching the wall beside her. There was a crunch as fist connected with brick.

"That's gotta hurt!" She whipped around and saw Naruto behind her.

"Meh!" She shrugged and shook her hand.

"Well, anyways, you forgot this," He handed her her headband.

"Thanks," She said gratefully, taking it and shoving it in her pack. They walked in silence for a few minutes, Quidam shooting him the occasional calculating glance.

"The Hokage says you're free to stay here if you like." Naruto said finally.

"Hn." She cocked her head and stared at him for a moment. "Is there a demon inside you?" She asked. He stopped short.

"How did you know/"

"I could sense two different chakras." she said simply, "There's an older, more powerful one nestled inside yours."

"You can sense it? No one here can!"

"Really? Oh, I guess that's my demon side, then." There was another silence as they nursed their own thoughts.

"A - are you ... like me?" Naruto asked finally.

"What do you mean?" She looked at him, confused.

"Is there a demon sealed up inside you?"

" ... No. I meant it when I said I was half. My father … my father was a lynx demon."

**Author's Note:** Right. If you've been to my site, you'll know my Naruto experience is pretty much nil. I've read some fics where the Hokage is now a _woman_, but I figured I'd better stick with what I know, so ... Anyone who knows who's Hokage when cell 7 is seventeen, please tell me! I have no as to what the Hokage's big fancy room is called either ... Please inform me ASAP of any concerns with terms or other details!

_Please, please, please_ tell me if Quidam sounds like a Mary Sue! She is _not_ perfect, she has many character flaws! (Impatience, for example...)

**Tenshi-no-Yokai:** Thanks for pointing out the whole name thing. (_God_, that was embarrassing!) I agree with you about Quidam seeming god-like.. Guess I was just trying to make a cool first impression... Didn't work out, though...

**Suicidal Kitsune, Magicians of the Yami, Chou ni Natte:** Thanks for the reviews! They made me _very_ happy in all my sickened misery...

**ArrowOfHikaru: **Great to hear from you again!

**Quidam's Eye Colours:**

Random colours Nervousness/ embarrassment

Dark crimson Hate


	4. The Chapter of Loose Ends

**Chapter 4: The Chapter of Loose-Ends**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

Naruto stared at the strange girl in front of him.

"Are you serious?" He asked her. She nodded.

"Dead serious."

"I've just never _heard_ of a person with a demon parent."

"We're not that uncommon, just, most of us stay away from humans completely. Some are the products of rapes, others are embarrassing mistakes. Where are we going, by the way?"

"Uh..."

**One hour later**

"Hey I know where we are!" Naruto exclaimed.

"_Finally!_"

"You see that ramen shop sign? That's how I knew where we were! I know where all the ramen shops in the village are!"

" 'South Gate Raman Shop'? we're on the _other side of the city_?!?"

"Uh... heh heh... Hey! You hungry?"

"Um... n-no." Quidam fingered her mask nervously.

"Oh, okay. Look! There's Sakura!" The pink-haired ninja was at a vegetable stand picking over some carrots. "Hey Sakura! Guess what!" he said excitedly when she saw them, "Quidam's dad was a ly—"

Quidam clamped her hand over his mouth. "Not so loud!" She hissed. "Sorry," she said, releasing him. "I'll tell you later," she reassured a bewildered Sakura.

"Okay..." She quickly dropped the subject, "Do you have anywhere to stay, Quidam? If not you can stay at my place."

"No thanks, I've been on the road too long, I find buildings oppressive. I'll stay on the outskirts of the village."

"What will you be doing now that you don't have a lead on Python?"

Quidam sighed, "I don't know,"

They talked idly about nothing until Naruto excused himself. the sun was setting, turning the buildings a golden orange. Sakura walked Quidam to the village gate.

"Here's my address," she said, scribbling it down on the back of a receipt, "if you need anything, don't hesitate to come, I'm in the neighborhood."

"Thank-you," Quidam said, taking the slip of paper.

"Where will you sleep?" Sakura asked, looking around.

"See that old oak just outside the forest? That's where I'll be if Naruto's outburst intrigued you."

The girls parted ways, one heading back into the village, the other heading out into the night. Quidam quickly collected fire wood before the last rays of the sun disappeared. As a package of instant ramen cooked, she looked at the twinkling lights of the village. Then she turned, her eyes glistening in the firelight, and pulled out a small black book from her pack. Tears smudged her make-up and made dark patches on her mask as she flipped through old photographs.

_Have I failed?_ she thought to herself.

****

The day had dawned bright and clear and Sakura had run — literally — into Sasuke.

"Geeze Sakura!" he said, dusting himself off, "Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry!" she apologized, adjusting her headband.

"Why were you in such a hurry, anyway?" He looked at her curiously.

"I was gonna visit Quidam before she left."

"She's leaving?"

"Well, I don't know, but I figured I'd better catch her before she leaves if she _is_ leaving today."

"Mind if I come? I want to ask her something,"

" 'Course not!" Sakura said brightly.

_Did I have to ask?_ He thought to himself, rolling his eyes.

They ran — _not_ literally — into Naruto at the gate.

"Sakura! I was looking for you! Do you know where Quidam is? I have some questions for her,"

"So do we! C'mon!"

****

When they reached the oak they found the last dying embers of a fire. the grass around it was crushed and scuffed, especially up against the massive trunk between two roots. It was apparent someone had sat there the whole night.

"Aw man! We missed her!" Naruto complained.

"No we didn't," Sakura said, pointing up into the branches of the tree. "See? That's her pack. She must have gone to train in the forest or something."

":Not quite," said an accented voice coming from the forest. Quidam emerged carrying a wet pot. "Good morning!" Her eyes were sky blue and was wearing a black tank-top, though her netting and bandages were still there. Something was wrapped around her arms. As she came closer they realized they were tattoos of dragon-like serpents. One was coiled around her right arm, the head resting just below her collar bone. The other's tail was on her left shoulder blade before curling down her arm.

"I didn't expect you so early," she said, setting down the pot — which held a small kettle and cup — down. Then she jumped up the tree to her pack, dropping down just as easily sporting her cloak and katana as well.

"So what brings you all here?" she asked, plopping down beside her dishes. She grabbed a handful of grass and began to dry her pot.

"We have a few questions for you," Sakura said, sitting across from her.

"You as a _group_ have a few or you _each_ have a few?"

"Uh, we each have a few,"

"Oh, we'll be here for a while, then,"

"how are you jonin when you're a year younger than us?" Naruto asked, sitting beside Sakura.

"Let's just say... I had the right incentive," It was the only answer she offered as her eyes clouded to black.

"Naruto was going to say something about your father yesterday..." Sakura continued.

"My father was a lynx demon."

Saskue and Sakura stared at her.

"Y-you're serious?" he spluttered, "You weren't kidding when you said you were a half-demon?"

"Why would I joke about something like that?"

"Well... It's just... I don't know..."

"So... was your mother... raped?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"I never said I was a bastard!" Quidam said sharply, her black eyes exploding with red and gold sparks.

"Oh... s-sorry,"

"It's fine," she said, maybe a little to harshly, as she shoved her pot into her back pack. "Look, are most of your questions about why I'm after Mamba?' She was greeted with nods. "Okay, then I'll just start from the beginning."

**Author's Note:** All right, I've probably immensely exaggerated the size of Konohagakure, but from the drawings in the manga, the village seems huge. That's just my personal opinion...

**HikaruOfArrow:** Thanks for reviewing again! Your e-mails always seem to pop up when I'm experiencing a confidence low... :)

**Nadyell:** Yes, chapters will commence lengthening soon! (If that made any sense...) I _wanted _to make the fight longer, but really, how long can you go describing punches and blocks before everyone gets bored?

**BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil:** Thanks for the review!

**WildKat25/ShadowWolf13:** Took you long enough! Geeze! I'll look into those type-ohs right away!


	5. The Half Demon

**Chapter 5: The Half-Demon.**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

"The country of Death is on the far side of Sand. In my country, three quarters of the population is made up of demons,"

"Aren't you always under threat?' Sasuke asked.

"No, they aren't the brutal, violent beast demons who act no better than the animals they represent. They're smart, advanced demons, some of which can take on human form.

"The other quarter of the population is made up of humans. The two races coincide peacefully, though they usually keep to themselves.

"My father was from a highly advanced demon clan. When he fell in love with my mother, he was considered an abomination. He was disowned when he decided to marry her. My mother's family was okay with it though, so Father became part of our village. A year later I was born, along with my twin brother."

"You have a brother?" Naruto interrupted.

"I did. I don't know what's become of him... but I'll get to that." Quidam's eyes were still black but now slowly flashing the occasional grayish-blue.

"When I was six," she said, taking a rattling breath, "my parents disappeared. Somehow, I could sense where they were, and foolishly, my brother and I went to find them. They weren't very far away, maybe five miles, but far enough to be out of yelling distance. When we neared where they were, we were captured by men wearing masks.

"They dragged us to an old stone building. I could hear my father screaming. When I first saw Mamba, he was hitting Father with iron knuckles. He had tortured him to within an inch of his death. I later learned that Mamba wanted a spell that was only passed down through Father's bloodline. Father refused to tell him , though, so Mamba chained him to a wall, then brought out my mother.

"He raped her," Quidam continued, her voice shaking with fury, eyes practically glowing, "He raped her right in front of us, right in front of Father. Then he beat her. All the while she begged Father not to tell Mamba what he wanted to know. She also begged Mamba to take us away, so we wouldn't have to see her suffering, but he just laughed an hit her harder.

"Finally, he told the thugs who had captured us to let us go. Instead of running away, like we should have, we ran to Mother. She was dead." Quidam's fists were clenched, her knuckles white. "My brother cried, holding her, but all I could do was stare at the man who had killed her. I didn't — couldn't — understand how someone could smile after killing such a beautiful person like my mother.

"As if to rub it in, Mamba released my father. He stumbled over to us; he could hardly breathe. All he could do was tell us that he loved us, and that he was sorry that he couldn't have been with us longer. I had never seen my father cry, it nearly broke my heart. When he took his last breath in my arms, that's when I snapped.

"Mother always said I had more of the demon blood than my brother. Watching my parents die was too much for me to handle, I guess. I went insane, taking my first life when I was six years old. I know I killed the men who had captured me and managed to slash Mamba across the face before I completely lost it."

Quidam stopped talking, taking deep breaths. Her audience was silent, one pair of eyes troubled, one pair concerned, and one pair just plain wide. She unclenched her fists, realizing her black nails had cur holes through the bandages on the hands.

"What do you mean you ... went insane?" Sakura asked, her eyes still huge.

"Like I do sometimes," Naruto whispered, quiet enough that she didn't hear him.

"The villagers found me a week later, my teeth in the neck of a doe," Quidam explained, shooting a look at Naruto, "I couldn't remember anything. I had succumbed completely to my demon side. That's the incident that earned me the nickname 'Youkai'.

"Anyway, the villagers had found the bodies of my parents and the men I had killed. Mamba and my brother were nowhere to be found."

Naruto was looking at her with a mixture of pity and understanding, Sasuke wasn't looking at anything, and Sakura's eyes were _still_ huge. The singing birds and bright sunshine contrasted with the dark mood of Quidam's story.

"My uncle took me in and began training me. He said when I reached _jonin_ level, we would avenge my parents deaths together. My hatred for Mamba fueled my training, it's flame never burning out. If anything, it got larger, hotter ... Heh! Must be a demon thing," she laughed bitterly, "I was _genin_ at eight, _chunin_ at eleven, then became _jonin_ at fifteen.

"Around that time there was word of a man searching for anyone of my fathers' line. It bothered us slightly, but no one was really worried. The village was very remote, up on a mountain, we didn't think anyone would come up there.

"The day I became _jonin_, my uncle told me to visit my parents graves; when I got back we would begin our search for Mamba. It's about a days' treck to their grave site, so I was gone for three days. When I got back ... There was nothing left of the village but charred building foundations and burnt bodies." Quidam's eyes were, again, the hard, cold, black.

Sakura's hands were over her mouth and her eyes were — if possible — even wider. Naruto looked horrified, and it was Sasuke's turn to gaze at her with understanding. It seemed like Quidam had forgotten they were there. She was staring absently at the forest, her chin in her hands.

"My village was very small," she said quietly, still looking away, "Maybe thirty buildings at the most. Everyone knew everyone else. Those people had seen me grow up. _I_ had seen some of them grow up. I remember ..." she stopped and took a deep breath, her hands shaking, "I remember this one kid, he was only a year old. I had ... I had seen him take his first steps just the day before." Her hard eyes were softened by unshed tears.

"So how ... did you know it was Mamba?" Sakura asked.

"I went down into the valley and asked around. There's a city there. People said it was the leader of Python, and he had been helped by Uchiha Itachi."

"W-why did Itachi ... help Mamba?" Sasuke looked troubled again, "What did he have to gain?"

"That's what _I_ thought. I had heard about him —"

"You had?" Sasuke looked at her in surprise. Quidam nodded.

"Oh yes, everyone knew the story of the boy with the Sharingan eyes. Anyways, Mamba had come after me for the same reason he went after my father. I couldn't figure out why Itachi had helped him, though. Then I realized, somehow, he had found out about an eye opposite to his, one that could _negate_ the effects of the Sharingan. I guess he didn't like the idea of that and decided to eliminate the problem"

"You knew I was an Uchiha, why didn't you kill me?"

"Actually, I was surprised. I had heard Itachi was the only remaining Uchiha. At first I thought you were him, but I knew you were around my age, so you _couldn't_ be. But like I said before, I don't kill for no reason. Too many people have died on my account, anyway." Her eyes weren't so hard anymore, she was looking at her audience again, her hands folded under her chin.

**Author's Note:** I hated writing this chapter, nothing ever came out right. I could see it in my head, but I couldn't get it down on paper, y'know?

**HikaruOfArrow:** :)

**BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil: **"Bastard" is a term given to an illegitimate child. I used this word because I couldn't find a better one. (The thesaurus on my computer is crap.)


	6. Another Fight

**Chapter 6: Another Fight**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

Quidam wandered around Konohagakure village. She had been at the warehouse, looking around again, but to no avail. She was lost again, scanning the skies for the South Gate Raman Shop sign. Just as she was about to give up, swallow her pride and ask for directions, she heard the familiar sounds of hard breathing, blades, and fists hitting targets. She had stumbled upon the Ninja Academy and training grounds.

"Quidam!' Naruto waved her over to a corner of a training ring that wasn't so populated. "What are you doing here?" He asked as she walked up to him.

"Actually, I'm lost." She said, leaning up against the fence.

"Again?" He laughed.

"Well it wasn't entirely _my_ fault I was lost last time," She retorted, glaring. They stood there is silence for a moment, watching cadets over-exert themselves.

"What did you mean when Sakura asked me what I meant by going insane?" she finally asked.

"Sometimes ... when I get angry — like _really_ angry — Kyubbi can sort of take over."

"Kyubbi is your ... demon?"

"Yeah. The first time it ever happened, I was twelve. I'd thought this kid had killed Sasuke. I went crazy — Kakashi said my face changed slightly — but I stopped myself before I killed him."

"Are those ..." She reached out to touch the marks on his cheeks, but stooped before she did.

"I've always had them," Naruto answered, guessing her unasked question, "They're probably something to do with having a fox demon sealed up inside me."

Sakura, then Sasuke joined them. They all laughed at Quidam's amazement that there was an actual _academy_ for ninjas. Rather — Naruto laughed, Sakura giggled, and the corners of Sasuke's mouth turned up ever-so-slightly.

"You _still_ here?" asked a haughty voice from behind them.

Quidam turned to face the speaker. Her first impression was lost as she was blinded by a gleam that came from a sneering mouth. Her second impression was _Good gods! What are those things on his face?_ Finally, she recognized him as the shinobi who had been glaring at her as she spoke with the Hokage the day before. Evidently, he had taken a dislike to her, which mirrored her own feelings. The others obviously felt the same way, judging by the looks they gave him. Each had a look of loathing aimed at the man, Sasuke especially, which shocked Quidam because she had begun to think of him as an emotionless individual.

"Shouldn't you be running along, little girl?" he asked Quidam, his monstrous eyebrows glaring at her. He seemed to be looking down at the group from high above, even though they were about as tall as him.

"Why should I?" Quidam asked coolly.

"You're not welcome here."

"Perhaps you're the only one who feels that way," she retorted as her eyes clouded to deep crimson.

"Get the hell out of this village!" he commanded.

"I don't have to take orders from you!" Quidam said angrily, "Weren't you listening yesterday? I'm _jonin_, the same level as you!"

"I'll never acknowledge a sixteen-year-old _girl_ as my equal!" he snarled.

"See if I care!" she said, her voice shaking, "But I'll stay here until I find what I'm looking for! Ask your Hokage and see if I'm not welcome here!"

The ninja didn't say anything, but glared at her for a while longer before slowly stalking off.

"Who the hell _was_ that?" Quidam asked whipping around to face her companions.

"Maito Gai," Sakura said, fuming, "He's a jerk, and he's been Kakashi's rival forever."

"Gods! I'm gonna knock out every one of his perfect shinny teeth!"

"My my, you have _quite_ the attitude problem!" Gai was back, and was looking more than a little pissed.

"And _you_ have a superiority complex!" Quidam said, maybe a little louder than she intended. People in the ring were either pretending to train, or had stopped all together, intent on the argument between Gai and the stranger. Some were curious about the girl who was the subject of so many rumors, most probably started by Konohamaru. Others were just eager to see the egotistical Gai get his head handed to him.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked her, his eyes narrowing.

"Continue on the road you are taking and it will be!" Quidam was speaking very loud, not caring who heard her. She was hoping Gai would give her a reason to fight him. Responding to insults was petty in her mind, so she wanted to egg him into attacking her.

"Do you really think you could beat me?"

"I'm almost certain I could," came the cool reply. Quidam was adapting the cold, confident attitude she had equipped during her fight with Sasuke. "Shinobi with your amount of self-confidence usually loose. They waste their time trying to look good, rather than focusing on the fight at hand."

Gai's face turned red with either anger or embarrassment, or both.

"What's say we test your theory here and now?"

"I was hoping you'd say that!"

"I won't be held responsible for anything that happens to you!" he threatened.

"Likewise,"

She couldn't remember quite what happened. Gai had been in front of her one minute, the next, he wasn't. She spun around at the small sound behind her, but wasn't fast enough. Before she realized what was happening, she had soared through the air and landed sprawled on her back in a cloud of dust.

"Give up?" He asked looming over her.

"Pssh! After one punch like _that_?" She said as she coiled her braid around her head, "I don't think so." She produced a pair of chopsticks from somewhere and thrust them through the mass of hair before standing up and brushing herself off.

Gai didn't wait for her though, and as she stood, spun and rammed his knee into her stomach. She flew back and slammed into the fence. There were several cracks as the girl retched and gasped for breath, but it wasn't apparent whether it was the wood or her bones. She got up shakily, coughing, but Gai decided to be relentless with a left hook to the head and a kick in the back. This time, as she landed, she added a burst of chakra to her arms and legs and jumped well out of Gai's way.

Quidam stood there, hands on her knees, breathing heavily.

"Well done," she said, stretching the bottom of her mask out away from her, "But now I fight for real," she added, spitting out blood, and putting her mask back in place.

"You sure you're not spent?" Gai scoffed, "I'm surprised you're still standing, after the blows I gave you,"

"Try me," she replied calmly, straightening up.

Gai disappeared again, but this time Quidam was ready for him, so he reappeared only to have her left elbow connect with his jaw. There was a flurry of blows and counter-blows before Quidam sprang out of the forming dust cloud and landed on a nearby roof.

"Come down, little bird!" Gai taunted from the ground.

"Let's get one thing straight, my self-obsessed neurotic," he said, adjusting her mask, "I'm not a bird!"

"Then what are y —" Wham! Quidam had launched off the roof and kicked out at Gai's head before landing in a position much like when she had fought Sasuke.

"I'm a cat!" she said as he tripped over the broken fence.

There was a huge out-burst of laughter from the spectators, including Kakashi, who had shown up somewhere near the beginning of the fight. The laughing was cut short, however, when Gai rose to his feet. He looked very scary. Quidam's kick had missed his head and connected with his face. This time, he was surely read with anger ... and blood. Lots of blood. His nose was streaming freely and his lip was split at least twice.

He didn't say anything, but flipped out a kunai. Quidam went into a defensive position. She hadn't actually been trying to draw blood, but know Gai looked to be out for _hers_! He threw the kunai and she dodged.

"AUGH!" Pain shot down her arm. She looked at the kunai in her left shoulder. It had snapped the strap of her tank. Crimson gushed onto her shirt and spilled into her cupped hand. Quidam cursed herself for falling for such a simple trick. The kunai had been an illusion so she would dodge right into the path of the real one! Her eyes, which had been an amused purple, flashed to red and gold.

"Now do you give up?" Gai's taunts assaulted her ears.

"Like hell I will!" She yelled, ripping the knife out of her flesh. Without a moment's hesitation, she flung the bloody blade right back at the opponent. In her anger she hadn't aimed, so it only scraped Gai's cheek, but he didn't notice. He, along with everyone else, was staring at her wound.

The spilt blood was being sucked back into her shoulder. Ever the blood in her hand, it was all snaking up her skin, like tiny backwards rivers. Finally, with only a few drops left, the gash closed seamlessly.

"How 'bout you?" She asked Gai. "Do _you_ give up?"

Gai was silent, no one said anything. Slowly, he nodded.

Quidam turned and hopped back on the roof. _Screw asking for directions,_ she thought, _I'll find the south gate better if I'm high up._

It took quite a while for cell leaders to get their students minds back on training, even after the dark silhouette had disappeared over the roof tops.

**Author's Note:** As you can see, I absolutely hate Gai. Never the less, I was seriously debating weather or note to put this chapter in. The only thing it's really good for, (besides beating up Gai) is grounds for an explanation in the _next_ chapter... Oh well, what's done is done. (Sorry that this chapter was so short, BTW...)

**ArrowOfHikaru; BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil:** You don't know how happy your e-mails make me!


	7. Questions and Answers

**Chapter Seven: Questions and Answers**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

Quidam walked slowly through the forest as she re-attached the strap of her tank. She was furious with herself for practically holding up a sign declaring "I'M A DEMON!". She prayed that the spectators of her clash with Gai would just assume that she was part of an advanced bloodline. _Little do they know_ how_ advanced_, she thought to herself.

"WHAT THE —" So intent she was on making her stitches small, that she hadn't noticed the slight abnormality on the path she was taking. Now she was suspended upside down, one foot caught in a noose.

"So _that's_ where the last trap was!" Quidam practically screamed in frustration as she tried to see who the speaker was. "I must say, though, you're the _last_ person I expected to catch!" Kakashi laughed as he strode into her field of vision.

"I was preoccupied," she said defensively, crossing her arms. The ninja was still smiling at her, and she became aware of just how foolish she probably looked.

"Oh? So preoccupied that you walked into a trap only the youngest _rookie_ would never notice?"

"Oh shut up!" she grumbled, and to emphasize her point, she jabbed the end of his nose with her sewing needle.

"So what did you think of Gai?" Kakashi asked as Quidam "sat up" and began pulling herself up the rope.

"That over-confident bastard!?! Playing a dirty trick like that! He must have been desperate!" Sitting on the branch she had moments before been dangling from, she sawed off the rope with a kunai.

"I think that was the first time in a long time he's been desperate."

"Well, if there's one thing I enjoy," she stated, dropping down beside him, "it's puncturing over-inflated egos."

They walked for a length, Quidam silently cursing her sewing needle. She hated mending of any sort.

"I've been meaning to ask you about your Sharingan," Kakashi said after a while.

"Oh, it's not a Sharingan,"

"Yes, I figured that. What do you call it?"

"The Nagnirahs"

"What does it mean?"

Quidam laughed, "Nothing! It's Sharingan spelled backwards,"

"It's an advanced blood gift?"

"Yes, from my mother's side. It shows up every few generations."

"I suppose your healing ability is genetic as well?"

" ... From my father, yes,"

"What's your family name?" Kakashi pressed, "If it's not too much to ask," he added hurriedly.

"My mother's name was ... was Uchia,"

Kakashi stopped and looked at her.

"That's awfully close to —"

"To Uchiha? I know. My uncle had a theory that our clan and the Uchiha share a common ancestor from way, _way_ back"

"Yes, that would account for the similarities of your eyes."

There was another silence, before Quidam remembered a question _she_ had been meaning to ask.

"Kakashi, is the demon inside Naruto a fox?" She asked excitedly.

"Naruto told you about Kyubbi?" Kakashi looked shocked from what I could tell.

"Well ... I sort of guessed he had a demon, then he told me it's name was Kyubbi."

"So how does this relate to you?"

"It's just, I was told stories of a nine-tailed fox demon that had terrorized the human villages in my country, and some of the smaller demon cities, too. Finally, a group of the stronger demons banded together and threw the fox out. It was the first time something like that had happened in a while. Death is normally a haven for demons, not a country to banish one. No one knew what had become of him, after that."

"Naruto was just an infant when we sealed the demon inside him. It had wiped out almost the entire village.

"I'd hate to see Naruto when he's pissed off!" she said, shivering.

They emerged from the forest and went to Quidam's tree. Happily, she had mended the shirt to her liking.

"You speak of demons as if they're people," Kakashi observed as she put away her rather battered sewing kit. Quidam looked up at him.

"Demons are people," she said.

"But ... they're evil!" He spluttered, surprised at her response.

"Only some! There's just as many evil humans as there are demons! ... I'd say humans are worse than demon," she added quietly.

"What do you mean by that?"

"A _human_ killed my parents, a _human_ wiped out my village. That same _human_ is still out there, probably hurting more people than most low-class demons ever will!"

"Care to elaborate on that? What do you mean 'low-class' demons?"

"Not all demons are mindless, blood-thirsty killers," she said, "The low-class, or beast demons, are about as smart as their counterparts. Middle-class are very intelligent, but still have an animals' body, although very powerful one. Higher-class demons are the smartest, the strongest, and are able to take on a human form, it that isn't their original body to begin with."

"Like shape-shifters?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, but only that one shape. They can't do multiple changes, unless their parents are from two different clans," she added thoughtfully, "which is pretty much unheard of."

"But can it happen?"

"Most likely. After all," she laughed quietly, "there's half-demons! Why couldn't there be mixed-breeds?"

Kakashi walked back to Konohagakure village, thinking about what Quidam had told him. He'd had no idea that demons were so complicated!

_"You flatter me, I'm only half,"_ The girl's words came unbidden to his mind. Had she meant that? The way she laughed when she told him about half-demons ... Could she really be serious? No, she must have been joking.

Kakashi dismissed the idea and pulled out the latest issue of _Make-Out Paradise_.

**Author's Note:** Okay, first thing: The whole demon levels were my idea. I have no clue how that sort of thing works in the manga. I created this to sort of explain why Quidam doesn't have whiskers and a tail. Second thing: I'm so sorry the chapters are so short! They do get longer, but these chapters were written before I ever _joined_ Fan Fiction. (I'm actually somewhere in Chapter 14..... Anyways, they _will_ get longer!

Oh! "Uchia" is pronounced "**you-CHI-ah**". That's actually how I pronounced "Uchiha" before I realized "Oh! There's an _h_ in there!" See?!! That's what you get when you speed read!

**HikaruOfArrow**: Okay, I'm probably gonna sound really stupid now but, what's an OOC? cringe I'm not that fluent in lingo just yet...

**Rurikat**: Yay! Somebody agrees with me! I'm flattered that you would want to steal Quidam's eyes, just, change the colours or something...


	8. The Beginning

**Chapter 8: The Beginning**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

"STUPID, STUPID, _STUPID_!!!!!" Quidam berated herself. Of _course_ she hadn't thought to look around the _outside_ of the warehouse! When she had been walking around the perimeter of the building she had discovered a staircase on the back leading to the roof. On the roof she had found an office.

A desk, a chair and some filing cabinets had been left behind. Old, yellowed papers were scattered every which-way, as if the occupant had packed hurriedly. Most of the papers were useless. Lists of inventory, sales receipts, But then she found a hand-written letter in the bottom of the desk:

_My master,_

_We have finished the fortress to you specifications. It has been constructed on the summit of Death's highest peak, as you wished. We await your arrival._

Naruto came across Quidam as she stormed down a smaller street near the south gate. She was uttering four-letter words that even _he_ had never heard of. They practically burned his ears.

"That last one was creative," he commented as she passed him. The girl growled in response. "What's got _you_ so worked up? Did you run into Gai again?"

"I'm leaving," she stated bluntly.

"What? Why?"

Quidam thrust the letter at him as he caught up to her. "Read it," she said simply.

"Oh! So you know where Mamba is now! That's great!" he exclaimed as they left the village.

" 'Death's highest peak'," she quoted, "That's _my_ mountain! That _bastard_ has the _gall_ to hide on _my_ mountain! Where he _massacred_ every single person I _ever_ cared about! If he's so much as _touched _their graves, I will rip out his intestines and feed them to the low-class ravens!"

"Isn't that a bit harsh?" He asked as they came upon her tree.

"No! He deserves _worse_ than that!" Quidam said angrily as she grabbed her things. Her eyes were so red Naruto was sure she was going to start shooting flames at everything she looked at. "Say good-bye to Sakura for me," she said, slinging her pack over her shoulder, "And give my thanks to the Hock —"

She stopped suddenly. Her eyes melted into a deep, navy-blue as she went rigid. "Oh no ..." she whispered.

"What is it?" Naruto asked. He shivered as the wind blew eerily towards them.

"Naruto! Get back into the village!" she said urgently.

"But — why?"

"Don't argue, _kohai_!" she snapped, "Just do as I say!"

Naruto was taken aback by her sudden use of authority, but he relented, and started running back to Konohagakure, Quidam close behind him. Suddenly, there was a bang, like nothing he had ever heard before. It sounded like the air cracking. Looking back, he saw clouds of birds rising up from the trees of the forest.

"What the hell _was_ that?" he asked her.

She just shook her head. Naruto was unnerved by the fear in her eyes.

"What's the quickest way to the Hokage?" she asked as they skidded back through the gate.

"Follow me!" he said, and jumped up onto a roof, Quidam right behind him. They stumbled as there was an earth-shaking explosion. Screams echoed up from the streets below.

"Oh gods, no!" she gasped as she jumped from a roof to a chimney pot, "Hurry!" she urged.

They crowd of _jonin_ shinobi was uneasy. It didn't help when there was a second boom that shook the roof. There were cries of "What's happening?" and "Who's doing this?". The Hokage was about to address the group when the doors flew open.

"It's Mamba!" Quidam cried as she burst through the doors, closely followed by Naruto, "It's Mamba! I'm sure of it!" She pushed her way through the mass of shinobi to the front.

"How do you know this?" the Hokage asked.

"He hunts me just as I hunt him," she said breathing heavily.

"I was about to say that we will send out shinobi to meet the attackers," the Hokage said, speaking to everyone in the room. There was a wave of movement as the _jonin_ began to make their way to the door.

"NO!!" Quidam cried, her eyes gray-green. The movement stopped. "Lord Hockage, please! You don't know what you're up against! These are Python's elite! Mamba's shock troops! They have weapons you couldn't possibly imagine! If you retaliate, It'll be a massacre!"

"What do you suggest we do, then?" The Hokage asked, annoyed.

Quidam looked down for a moment. "The ... the spell Mamba's after ... I know how to use it."

The room erupted with murmurs of interest, doubt, and exclamations of confidence, or lack of. The girl just stood there.

"Please don't send out shinobi," she begged, "They'll be slaughtered for sure." Her voice was quiet, desperate. "look, I know I haven't given you any reason to but ... you have to trust me," Her last words came out barely a whisper.

The Hokage was silent, he seemed unsure. Finally, another boom was heard. That seemed to make his decision. He looked at her.

"Do you need anything?"

**Authors Note:** Is it just me, or are the chapters getting shorter and shorter? ... Never thought I'd say this, but ... REVIEW! Please?

**HikaruOfArrow:** Thanks for the note! Yes, Gai _was_ a bit out of character, but I've hated him since the moment he appeared on the back of that giant turtle in Chapter 38, so....

**BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil:** Quidam and _Kakashi_?!?!?!?! Where did you get _that_ from? I'm not exactly sure if I'll ever do any relationships outside of friendship...

**Rurikat:** In real life? Cool! Tell me if you ever figure out how!


	9. The Spell

**Chapter 10: The Spell**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

"Do you need anything?"

Quidam heaved a sigh of relief. "A goblet and fish scales, everything else I have."

"Is there anything else?"

"Is it too much to ask ... if you got the villagers away from the walls?" She looked at the Hockage hopefully.

"If you wish, but why?"

"Mamba will try to do as much damage as possible. Things close to the gate will be destroyed. I don't want innocent people to be hurt or killed."

The Hockage nodded, "All right. Kakashi, find her everything she needs. The rest of you, get the people away from the walls!"

Quidam and Naruto followed Kakashi out of the building to find a throng of genin and chunin waiting outside. Kakashi signaled to Sakura and Sasuke.

"Do any of you have a goblet?" he asked his students.

"I do," Sakura piped up, "Why?"

"Quidam needs it,"

"Go get it and meet us at the south gate," Quidam said urgently. Sakura nodded and dashed off, though it was clear she was still confused.

Kakashi looked at the remaining teens, "Right he said, rubbing his hands together, "Where's the nearest fishmonger's?"

That is how, ten minutes later, Quidam found herself, along with Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke, trying to explain to a twelve year-old girl that they needed fish scales.

"I don't understand," she said, "Why do you want _fish scales_?"

"To save the village!" Naruto explained, oblivious to how odd he sounded.

"With _fish scales_?"

"Exactly!"

"Look, do you have fish _skins_?" Quidam asked, exasperated.

"I — yes,"

"Great! Give us some of those!"

"All right," the girl said uncertainly. She disappeared behind a curtain into the room beyond the sales counter and came back with a bag of something squishy.

"Thank you _so_ much!" Quidam said, grabbing the bag, "C'mon, we have to be quick!" She said to her companions, then ran out of the shop like all of Hell was at her heels. The guys followed her, leaving the fish girl dazed and confused.

Sakura was waiting for them by the now closed south gate. The market was deserted, and a smell of sulfur came from over the wall.

"Thank goodness you're here!" she was looking quite paranoid as she handed a wooden goblet to Quidam. It was squat, with a large, shallow bowl.

"This is perfect!" Quidam said, dipping it into a near by rain barrel. Looking around, she spotted a roof right above the wall. Carefully, as not to spill the water, she jumped up the two stories to the overhang.

"Oh my God ..."

There was a line of fifty to sixty men in black advancing from the forest.

"What?" asked Naruto from behind her, "There's hardly any of them! All they have are those black things!"

"It's the black things I'm worried about," Quidam replied, pulling a black pouch out from her back pack. Inside were four vials of coloured substances, each carefully wrapped in a soft cloth. The cloths were stamped with a silver crest.

"How do you know this spell?" Sasuke asked as she scraped the fish skin with a kunai, "Didn't your father die ... before he could teach it to you?"

"My fathers' family took me to live with them for a year," she explained, pushing fish scales that had accumulated on her blade into the goblet.

"Hey," Sakura said, looking over the wall, "They're pointing those black things at us,"

"GET _DOWN_!!! Quidam cried, grabbing Sakura. As she did so, bangs came from below. Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke dropped to their stomachs just in time to see, or rather, _feel_ small things whiz past their heads.

"What the hell? What were those —" Kakashi stopped when he heard Sakura's pained whimper. "Oh god ..."

Sakura's arm was limp and bleeding. Something had shattered the bone. Quidam sat up beside her. She was pale and sweating, her collar bone broken. As they watched, a small, gray ball fell out of the hole in her skin. There were small pops as her bone knit itself together, but she ignored this as she wiped off the blood trickling from her own wound and smeared it over Sakura's. Sakura gasped as her own broken bone mended and skin sealed up, but not before another gray ball popped out.

"All right!" Quidam said, breathing heavily, "Everyone off the roof!"

As she said this, a black. hand-sized object hurtled over the wall and landed on a nearby balcony.

"Down!" They all dropped again and waited ... and waited.

"Um ..."

Suddenly, there was an explosion. Screams echoed in the aftermath as debris showered everywhere. South Gate Raman Shop was no more.

"_Damn_ it!" Quidam cursed, "Never mind! Stay on the roof!"

She bent over the forgotten goblet and pulled out one of the glass vials. She ignored two more explosions as the carefully dropped equal amounts of the four liquids into the cup.

"Right," she said, flipping out a kunai, "Whatever I do, don't touch me. Am I clear?" They nodded. "Good," Turning back to the goblet, she slashed her hand and let the blood drip into the shallow bowl.

She knelt by the goblet unmoving, staring into the substance she had created. She was motionless as another round of the gray things flew at them, Naruto could have sworn one of them passed through her head. She slumped slightly, but nothing more. She didn't even flinch when the building behind them exploded. Finally, the stuff in the goblet flashed and was gone.

Slowly, rigidly she stood. In a harsh voice, she began speaking in what must have been her native tongue. Her eyes clouded, going iridescent white, with no visible pupil. The wind picked up and swirled about her, forming a small whirlwind. The chanting/singing stopped abruptly, and the wind sprang away towards the assailants.

"Is that a dragon? No ... a snake?" Sakura whispered. The wind was now a silver ribbon glinting in the afternoon sunlight.

There were cries from Mamba's troops. Bangs and cracks sounded as they shot at the silver snake. Men were mowed over as it passed. Try as they might, they couldn't seem to hurt it. From their vantage point, Kakashi and his cell could see figures fall and not get up. The attackers got more desperate as more died. Some even tried throwing the explosives at the snake, which only resulted in blowing up their own comrades.

Soon there were only about a dozen left standing. Half stayed and kept shooting at the snake until they fell. The others ran, but were quickly overtaken and snapped up. The snake circled around the field, to be sure there were no survivors before drifting towards the village.

Quidam stood stalk-still as the others slowly backed away. Villagers were beginning to come down to the wall, but quickly changed their minds when they saw what was looming above the rooftops. The snake stopped a foot from Quidam. She reached out a hand and placed it of the silver head between twin black eyes.

"Is she ... talking to it?" Naruto asked. Finally, Quidam dropped her hand and the snake sped away and vanished, wind once again.

Quidam's breathing became labored, her shoulders were slumped and shaking. Multiple cuts and lacerations appeared on her arms and, it seemed, everywhere else on her body. Soon her clothing was drenched in crimson and the bleeding wouldn't stop.

She turned to look at her companions with tired eyes, and collapsed.

**Author's Note:** 'Kay, first things first. A thousand apologies to Masashi Kishimoto for putting guns and grenades into his otherwise gun-free world. I tried to come up with a more original weapon, but nothing came up. Sorry this chapter was so late, I was too lazy to up load it... --;

**HikaruOfArrow:**

**Nadyell:** Thanks for the tips! Guess I'm not paying enough attention to spellings... I'm aware Gai is very much out of character, but my only experience with him is right after Lee beats the crap out of Sasuke and a couple flash backs. It's just a bad first impression, I guess...

**Manatheron:** According to my little system, Kyuubi is a _super_ powerful middle-class demon, as I haven't heard of him taking on his _own_ human form. The only reason he's a second-class is because of that. Of course, I haven't heard of _any_ demon in Naruto taking on human form! ; I'll admit I've been thinking about the idea of making Naruto go demon for a while. I've been entertaining the thought of something making Quidam snap, then Naruto going demon to stop her.... OH! SPOILER!!!!! Anyways, thanks for the review! It's always nice to her from new people!


	10. Another chapter in which nothing happens...

**Chapter 11: Another chapter in which nothing happens, but in this case, it's part of the story.**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

Quidam slowly opened her eyes and blinked to clear them. The first thing she noticed was that there was a spot on the ceiling. The second thing she noticed was the intense hunger gnawing at her belly. Finally, she noticed it was _very_ easy to breathe.

Wait. She stopped in mid-groan. Her hands flew to her face. Well of _course_ it was easy to breathe if her mask wasn't on!

_Oh, crap._

She looked around to get her bearings. She was lying on a futon covered by a blanket with a shuriken motif. The room she was in had been cleaned hurriedly, it seemed. A pile of clothes had been shoved into a precarious pile in one corner. Beside her was a small table home to a bonsai tree apparently named "Mr. Ukki". The tree was accompanied by two photos, one of which had Kakashi and younger versions of Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke.

"You're awake!" Kakashi exclaimed, poking his head in through the door. "Naruto was convinced you were dead!" he said, coming into the room. He placed a black bundle beside her pack at the foot of the futon. It was clothing, her mask visible on top.

"Sorry about your mask," he apologized, noticing what she had been looking at, "But I had to give you water. Didn't want you to wake up dehydrated."

"It's all right," Quidam replied, sitting up stiffly. She stared at her torso as the blanket fell off. Her body was tightly bound with white linen bandages. Her arms were wrapped in some places as well. She looked at Kakashi, panicking slightly.

"You didn't ..." She trailed off, pointing at the bandages.

"No! No " he laughed, "Sakura did."

Quidam sighed in relief, "How long was I out?" she asked, rubbing her neck.

"A week."

"Are you serious?"

Kakashi nodded, "You didn't know you would pass out?"

"I've never done the spell on that level before,"

"You're probably hungry," he said after a while, "Get dressed, I'll make you some raman." He left the room and closed the door quietly."

Quidam stood up and cracked her back. Oh _man_ was she stiff! She found she was wearing a pair of shorts, most likely Sakura's, and her legs were bound up as well. As she stripped off the bandages and pulled on her shirt, she felt someone watching her. She looked up with a start to see herself in a mirror. The girl looking back at her had a small, thin, slightly off-center nose, and lips that hardly ever smiled. The streaks of make-up were absent from pale cheeks. She was a total stranger.

Kakashi looked up from a pot of raman cooking on the stove as Quidam entered the kitchen. She sat down uncertainly at the table and looked around.

"Why are you so shy all of a sudden?" he asked, dumping the noodles into a bowl.

"It's just — I haven't been in a house in such a long time."

"So it has nothing to do with your mask being off?" he pressed as he pulled a cup out of a cupboard.

"Maybe ... a little to do with that, yeah. I ... I always wear it, so I feel ... unprotected without it."

"Why do you wear it?" he asked, placing the raman and a glass of something orange in front of her.

"To protect my identity, to keep people from finding out who I am. I learned quickly that Mamba has spies everywhere. The mask keeps people from knowing what I look like, and people who _do_ know unawares that it's me."

"I noticed that the marks on your cheeks came off, but not around your eyes." Kakashi observed.

"The black around my eyes is natural, I was born with it. The tear 'stains', if anything, they're to hide the shadows under my eyes," she laughed softly.

"You know," Kakashi said a few minutes later, "You're very pretty."

Quidam stared at him a chopstickfull of raman halfway to hr mouth, "Oh! Um ... th-thank you?"

"What? No one's ever told you that before?" he asked, laughing.

"Never," she shook her head and ate a mouthful of ramen so as not to say anything else.

"Seems a shame to cover such a pretty face with a mask,"

Quidam stared at him, weirded out and embarrassed at the same time. She thought about asking him why he wore _his_ mask, but decided against it. Instead, she took a sip from the cup he had given her. Right away, she began coughing and choking.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"I-it's so _sweet_!" She spluttered between coughs.

"It's _orange juice_!" he told her, laughing.

She didn't answer, but coughed a few more times before clearing her throat, her face redder than ever. To occupy herself, she tucked her hair behind her ears. Pointed ears, that had silver rings running all the way up to the tips.

"So you really are a half-demon," Kakashi said, changing the subject.

"... Yeah,"

"I can't believe I couldn't take your hints!" He said, shaking his head.

"How do you know, if you didn't guess yourself?"

"Sasuke and Naruto told me, while Sakura attended to your wounds. After you passed out, I wanted to take you to the hospital, but Sakura said she didn't think you would appreciate strange people poking and prodding you."

"So they told you everything?" she asked.

"I your heritage, why you're after Mamba, and why he's after you is everything, then — yes!"

Quidam nodded, "I guess one more person knowing can't hurt. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure why I told _them_ in the first place. I just felt like I could trust them ..."

Suddenly, there was someone banging at the door.

"Hey Master Kakashi!" Naruto yelled as he continued to pound

"_Crap_!" Quidam hissed, jumping up from the table and running back into the bedroom. One door flew open as the other slammed shut.

"Good afternoon, everyone," Kakashi sighed, picking up the dishes.

"Has she woken up yet?" Sakura asked worriedly, following Naruto and Sasuke into the small apartment.

"Is she _ever_ gonna wake up? You're sure she's not dead?"

"Naruto, she was _breathing _the last time we checked!" Sasuke reminded his teammate.

"Yeah, well —" But whatever Naruto was about to say will remain a mystery, because Quidam re-emerged from the bedroom fully-masked and adjusting her headband.

She wasn't sure what happened next. All she noticed was a large, pink projectile flying her way, and the next minute Sakura was hugging her tightly, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Quidam! Thank god you're awake! We didn't think you'd _ever_ wake up! After the snake disappeared — what was that, anyway? — you collapsed and you were bleeding and it wouldn't stop and it got all over the place and all over Master Kakashi and it took _forever_ to clean your clothes and the Hockage keeps asking where you are and we're not sure whether to give him a straight answer ..."

While Sakura rattled on, Quidam awkwardly patted her back as best she could.

"How about," she cut in, "we all sit down, and you can ask me questions one at a time, instead of throwing them all into one big one."

"Oh! Right," Sakura let go of her and plopped down at the table.

"What was that _thing_?" Sasuke blurted, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.

"_He_," Quidam corrected, perching on the kitchen counter, "_He_ is a wind serpent,"

"Wind serpent?"

"An elemental spirit. The elements are alive, you know, most people are oblivious to that fact."

"Before you collapsed," Sasuke pressed, "you spoke to it ... him,"

"I requested that he watch over the village when I'm gone,"

"Why?"

"In case more come,"

There was a silence before Kakashi asked why she had started bleeding.

"The spell summons the nearest wind spirit, and if the spirit agrees, I enter his mind and through him, complete the task I couldn't otherwise do. The price of possessing him is to take on any injuries inflicted during the possession."

"But why didn't you heal right away, like before?" Naruto asked.

"I had exhausted my chakra controlling the Serpent. Controlling spirits is difficult at the best of times; a spirit of that magnitude, well ..." She trailed off, gazing at the tilde floor.

"So what was in the spell?"

"Fish scales,"

He glared at her. She laughed.

"If I told you what was in the vials, I'd have to kill you."

"It's that important that Mamba doesn't get the spell?"

"Unless you want a tyrannical bastard ruling you, yeah," Quidam replied darkly, "Besides, once you learn the spell, you're branded," She added, her fingers trailing along the tattoos around her arms. The dragons, they realized, were actually wind serpents.

"So when you learn the spell, those appear?" Sasuke guessed.

"Yeah, and it hurts like hell,"

"So what were those black things?" Kakashi asked.

"Terrible machines capable of killing instantly, or to mutilate until you wish you were dead." It was the only answer she offered, "What happened to the bodies?" she asked instead.

"We buried them,"

"And their weapons?" She seemed worried as she said this.

"Buried along with them."

Quidam let out the breath she had been holding. One less thing to worry about if the village never discovered firearms.

**Author's Note:** Thank you to **WildKat25** for the whole "You're very pretty" scenario. (See? I _told_ you I'd do it! ) Another thing: the wind serpent was my idea. Once again, I must point out that my Naruto knowledge isn't exactly the most impressive!

**Manatheron** I had to read your review several times to work out what you said, (I'm kinda slow...) I'm still not sure weather I get it or not, but no, Naruto would not have to do that to calm her down. It's a great idea, though! I hope the rest of your questions were answered in this chapter!

**Nadyell** Well wow, what can I say? You pointed out some things I didn't even _think_ about! If you recall, I said the only, I repeat, the _only_ reason kyuubi is a middle-class demon is because he can't take on a humanoid form. He could probably overpower most high-class demons, as most high-class demons aren't really all that powerful, compared to Kyuubi's standards, that is. (You'll find out about that later...) If you remember, I said it took _several_ demons to kick Kyuubi out of death. Thanks again!

**Blackcrimson** Thanks for the review!


	11. The Beginning For real this time

**Chapter Twelve: The Beginning (For Real This Time)**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

Quidam opened the door a crack and peeked inside. Good, no shinobi. She opened the door the rest of the way.

"Quidam-chan," the Hockage acknowledged her as she stepped into the hall.

"Lord Hockage," she said, bowing, "I came to thank you for your hospitality."

"Hospitality? We hardly ever saw you! If anything, I should be thanking you for saving the village!"

"It was nothing. I protect my home, even if it's only home for two weeks,"

"Speaking of which, where were have you been this past week?"

"I was ... out,"

"Out? Out where?"

"No, I was knocked out,"

"Oh, the spell is very taxing?"

"Yes. It cost me a weeks delay in catching Mamba. I doubt I shall ever see you again, so I came to thank you before I left."

"Good luck then, child. But you know, you are welcome to come back,"

"Thank you, my Lord," she bowed again, the turned and strode out into the morning light.

There was a group of jonin outside. They all stared as she walked by, some respectful, some suspicious and some downright scared. Beside them was a white dog and a boy about her age, wearing a parka-like jacket. The boy looked at her half scared, half impressed, but the dog seemed to have a different opinion of her. It was telling her what it thought of her, and how _dare_ she smell so much like a cat, all in very vulgar words.

"Shimi dasu!" she snapped, then added a few choice phrases only the animal could understand. It zipped behind its master, tail between legs, but continued to growl at her.

Quidam hopped over the left over of the raman shop and other buildings that had been demolished. She stopped at the gate and looked back, hoping to see Naruto, Sakura or Sasuke. She was out of luck, though. She sighed, disappointed; she had hoped to say good-bye to at least one of them, but hadn't seen any one, and she didn't want to delay any longer.

"And where do you think _you're_ going, all by yourself?" A familiar voice asked as she passed through the gate. Naruto was leaning against the outer wall, a back pack at his feet.

"I'm going after Mamba, and _you_ are not coming,"

"Yes we are," Sakura said from behind her.

"No you're _not_!" Quidam said, spinning round, "_You_ saw what Mamba's capable! You're not coming, it's too dangerous!"

"That's exactly why we're coming with you," Sasuke retorted, popping up beside Sakura, "We know what he's capable of. Missions are always more dangerous the closer you get to your target; you'll be better off in a group.

"I can take care of myself!"

"No you can't," Sakura said, crossing her arms.

"I — _what_?!"

"What if you use that spell again?" Naruto pointed out, coming up beside her, "Last time you used it you were comatose for a week! Who's to say you won't use it again? What good will it do you if you if you spend a week conked out in the middle of nowhere?!"

"Naruto, I'm not a child!"

"Yes you are!"

"_Excuse me?!?!?!_"

"What he's _trying_ to say is, you're a year younger then us." Sasuke cut in.

"That's besides the point," Quidam said, trying to calm down, "I'm a jônin level shinobi!"

"A lot of good that'll do you if you use the spell!"

"Look, I don't intend to use it on such a level again!"

"But you said it's tiring to do even with a _small_ spirit," Sakura reminded her, "Your reflexes will be slower, you'll be tired out. If Mamba finds you in that state, without someone there to help you, he'll have as hard a time capturing you as he would a lone genin!"

Quidam forced herself to take deep breaths and calm down, rather than scream and throw things, which is what she wanted to do.

"You're not coming, and that's final."

** One hour later **

Quidam stopped pacing. "All right! I am _sick_ of waiting! We are leaving now!"

"What? What about Master Kakashi?" Sakura asked, standing up.

"The procrastinating idiot can catch up!"

"Did I miss anything?" the procrastinating idiot asked as he jumped down from a roof and landed in the middle of the group.

"No! We were just preparing to leave!" Quidam told him in a sweet, pleasant voice dripping with venom.

"Oh, you're mad about being late? Well a funny thing happened —"

"Let me guess," Quidam interrupted, crossing her arms and glaring at him, "You slept in, and in your hurry to brush your teeth you swallowed your tooth brush. It took three packages of dental floss to make a rope strong enough to pull it back out, and you spent an hour making it just so."

Kakashi stared at her, blinking, "How did you _know_?"

She didn't reply, making a noise half way through a tsk and a growl instead. "Let's go," she said, slinging her pack over her shoulder and setting off, not looking back to see if they were following her or not.

It was early evening when Sasuke noticed a thin pillar of smoke on the horizon, and pointed it out.

"Do you think it's a campfire?" Sakura asked to no one in particular.

"I don't think so," Kakashi answered, "The smokes too black,"

"Well let's see what it is, then!" Naruto exclaimed, and ran towards the streak in the orange-tinted sky. The rest followed him, Quidam bringing up the rear reluctantly.

Naruto stopped dead in horror as he reached the top of the hill. Sakura let out a strangled scream and clasped her hands over her mouth as Sasuke just stared, a very odd expression on his face.

"What . . . Who the hell . . ." Kakashi was at a loss of words, his visible eye reflecting the shock and disgust in his voice.

"See why I hate Mamba so much?" They all jumped at Quidam's whispered question. She stood a few steps behind them, surveying the mess spread out in front of her.

The hill they were standing on was part of a ridge that made a large bowl in the earth. Nestled in the bottom of the bowl was a village — or what was left of one. The frames of houses were charred skeletons ready to collapse at any moment. The final tendrils of smoke from the smoldering wood showed that the fire had happened some time ago. Along the sides of the hills were twisted and mangled bodies, some burnt, some missing heads or limbs, all caked in old, dry blood.

"I'm sure of it," Quidam replied, her voice shaking, "This is what my village looked like. He searches for me, and any one who gets in the way dies. This is why I didn't want you to come." She finally looked at her companions, her eyes glistening. Her voice hadn't been shaking with anger, as they had thought, but with tears she was trying to keep from spilling.

"Do you think the attackers are still around?" Sakura asked, sounding sick.

"No, this fire happened at least a week ago," Kakashi said, "I wouldn't be surprised if the men who attacked Konohagakure ransacked this village just before.

"We shouldn't take any chances, though," he continued, pointing at his students, "You three scout around, see if you can find anything. Quidam and I will deal with the bodies."

The three team mates nodded and split up, Sakura looking somewhat more than relived. As soon as they disappeared over the hill tops Quidam dropped to her knees and rocked back and forth, her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook as tears fell onto the grass below her.

"That bastard!" she whispered, not looking up when Kakashi sat down beside her, "That _bastard_! I'm gonna _kill_ him! I'm gonna kill him!" She kept repeating the vow, slowly getting quieter as she did so, until it was just an indiscernible mumble. Kakashi, not knowing what else to do, put his hand on her shoulder. The girl finally lifted her eyes and took a deep, rattling breath.

"Right, let's do this."

When Sasuke returned, he found Kakashi placing the last body on a pile while Quidam started a fire underneath. Her grief had given way to anger, gray eyes now bright red. The silver streaks in hr hair seemed to be larger and brighter as well.

"Nothing," he reported to his teacher, "But Sakura says Naruto found something."

"What did he find?"

"We don't know, but she thinks it's one of those long black thinks that Mamba's people had."

"Oh God . . . I hope . . ." Quidam's eyes dulled as she ran back the way Sasuke had come.

"So how does it work?" Naruto asked the air as he turned the black weapon over and over.

"I don't know, but I think we should wait for Quidam," Sakura said, eyeing the object warily.

"_Weird_! So do the little gray things come out of here?" Naruto was staring down the long cylinder, oblivious to the other end, where his finger was resting precariously on a certain switch. (**AN:** You know where this is going, don't you?)

Just then, Quidam appeared, a few hills away. "DON'T PULL THE —" **KA-BOOM!** "trigger . . ."

Naruto sat frozen, staring at her.

"Uh . . . What just happened?" Sasuke asked.

"You are _so_ friggn' lucky you turned your head," Quidam said, ignoring the black-haired boy's question. She snatched the weapon out of Naruto's hands, flipped it over and dumped out a fine powder and several more gray balls. Then she turned and began smacking it against a nearby boulder. She didn't stop until several small pieces had broken off and the cylinder had cracked.

Suddenly she hissed with pain and dropped the weapon. "Damn it . . ." She blew on her fingers as if they burned. "Right, listen carefully," she turned to face the others, "That thing is called a gun, and is capable of killing instantly. Mamba created it, but wasn't satisfied. He now has plans for a more advanced weapon that will kill masses of people in less than a minute. They will be distributed to his troops soon, but I intend to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Fair enough," Kakashi agreed.

"You're not going to tell us how it was made, are you?" Sasuke stated.

"How _ever_ did you guess?"

**Authors Note: **I hate the beginning of this chapter, but, oh well. Sorry if anyone found the whole village thing rather morbid, but I felt it would make Quidam seem more human, not so aloof, if you know what I mean. Also, my knowledge of guns is _zilch_! All I know is that when you pull the trigger, bullets come out! ;

**BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil:** It's okay . . . I didn't feel _too_ neglected. JK! Yeah, I didn't want to make them seem so close, but when my friend suggested it, it was so cute I just _had_ to use it!

**black-red-blue:** I probably won't fix the Hokage, I don't think Konoha's leader will be in this fic anymore, anyways . . . Yes the age difference was one of the key factors for my deciding not to do Quidam/Kakashi. (He's, what, almost twice her age?!?)

**HikaruOfArrow:** That is such a cute idea! But I've decided not to do that pairing, if any at all . . . I admit I _did_ entertain the idea of a Q/K pairing, but I knew the age difference is so large, it would just be . . . I don't know . . . weird? Besides, I can't imagine Kakashi with anyone else than his Make-Out Paradise! —


	12. Nightmares

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

The smell of pine was exceptionally strong in the cold autumn air. A wind sweeping down the mountain brought the taste of snow that had already begun falling at a higher altitude. It stirred the wooded wind chimes into an odd song, the music keeping harmful spirits from disturbing the grave in the large clearing.

"Mother, Father, today I avenge you," she said, kneeling in front of the small monument decorated with offerings and candles. "I know you didn't want me to become a killer, but the man who took you away from me deserves more than death."

She had trekked halfway down the mountain when she noticed something was amiss. Song birds had stopped singing, crows and ravens croaked nervously. The wind passed through the trees restlessly, nervously. It had shifted completely, now blowing up from the valley, carrying the ever-so-faint odor of smoke. As the sun began to set, a bright orange light was visible down the slope, still a few miles away.

The half-demon screamed when she came upon her village. Every building was on fire, flames licking the twilight sky. She stood there, not knowing what to do. She could hear the cries of her friends and family coming from the inferno.

"Youkai, help us!" one cried.

"Help us Quidam!" pleaded another.

"Quidam! I don't want to die!" her youngest cousin sobbed.

"I'm coming!" She stepped forward, but tripped over something. She shrieked in anguish when she recognized her uncles face, a dagger thrust into his chest.

She turned back towards the fire, tears streaming down her cheeks, but the way to the burning village was now riddled with the bodies of other people. They were the dead from the village she had passed with Kakashi and the others. The question as to why the other bodies were there was shoved to the back of her mind as she saw familiar silhouettes in the fire, some doubled over in pain, others collapsing in a cloud of sparks never to rise again. Although she knew this was a dream, she tried to get up and answer the pleas for help.

As she stood there was a searing pain in her arms and legs, causing her to fall once again. There iron shackles encircling her wrists and ankles, chaining her to the ground. She cursed the weakness her father's blood carried. All she could do was watch helplessly as one by one, more villagers died.

"NOOOOO!! Wake up, dammit!!!"

Naruto stared up at the night sky, listening to the faint bubble of the nearby stream. The had found the camping place several miles away from the burnt village. Having still been shaken up by the whole gun incident, he had volunteered to take the first watch. Now, though, he wished he hadn't. His eyes were getting heavy, and the duet the rushing water and crackling fire created was a very convincing lullaby.

He was shaken out of his stupor when Quidam groaned. The half-demon was almost invisible, wrapped up in her cloak at the edge of the fire light, but he could her tossing and turning. He was deciding weather or not to wake her up from the obvious nightmare when she screamed and sat bolt upright.

"Wh - what's wrong?" Sakura asked sleepily, followed by grumbles from the other two sleepers. Quidam didn't answer, just sat there gasping.

Suddenly she made a weird noise and tore out of her blanket in the direction of the steam. There was the sound of retching, followed by vomit splashing into water. Naruto jumped up and went after her, the others following his example groggily. Quidam was kneeling on the banks of the stream, head bowed, breathing labored. Every so often, her shoulders would give a little spasm. She had torn off her mask, it was lying a few feet behind her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, stooping to pick it up.

"Ye . . . n-no!" She retched again, spilling out anything left in her stomach.

"Are you sick?" Sakura asked, fully awake now.

"No, I'm not sick," she replied hoarsely. Her head was still bowed, so her hair would cover her face.

"What could you have been dreaming that would make you puke?" Naruto demanded, handing her her mask.

"I'll tell you in the morning," she said as she pulled her mask over her head, "Naruto, go to sleep, I'll take the rest of the watch."

Quidam stared into the fire light, examining her wrists. The pain had felt so _real_, and yet there was no burn, not like on her hands, where the iron of the gun had left it's mark. Hot tears of anger, pain, grief and something else she couldn't quite comprehend started to fall. She let out a sigh of frustration. She _hated_ crying.

"Quidam?" Sakura sat up, "Are you sure you're all right?"

". . . No," she whispered.

"What's wrong?" the other girl asked, crawling over to her.

Quidam sat there, shaking her head. "I hate crying," she finally said, "It makes me feel weak and vulnerable,"

"There's nothing wrong with crying!" Sakura exclaimed quietly, "It shows that you aren't a cold, empty shell, that you have feelings!"

"It's times like this when I wish I didn't _have_ feelings,"

"Feelings prove that you're human!"

"I'm only half!"

"That you're a _person_, then. Demons are people too, you said so yourself!"

"I guess you're right . . . it still makes me feel weak, though,"

Sakura laughed, "Nothing I could say would change that," she leaned over and hugged Quidam, "Good night!"

"'Night . . ." Quidam's answer was distracted as she thought about what Sakura had said.

"Remember," Sakura said groggily, "you're only allowed to cry when you're happy,"

"Who said that?"

"Naruto . . ." her voice trailed off as sleep took her.

Sasuke woke up the next morning to the sound of steel on stone. Quidam was sitting by the fire sharpening a kunai as Kakashi stirred a pot of something.

"_God_ you guys like to sleep late!" she commented when she noticed the black-haired boy sit up.

"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Six-thirty,"

"That's _late_?!"

"For me it is! I usually leave at first light, which was an hour ago,"

"It's an exercise, Quidam," Kakashi stated, dumping potstickers into a bowl and handing it to Sasuke. "You should learn to be more patient!"

"Coming from the man who's at _least_ three hours late for everything!" she countered.

"How could you possibly know that? You've been unconscious for half the time we've known each other!"

"Sakura told me," she pointed to Sakura's sleeping form.

"Gasp! The traitor!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned his attention to breakfast as Sakura awoke at the sound of her name.

"What —" the rest of her sentence was cut off by a large yawn.

"Six-thirty-three!" Quidam answered the unasked question pleasantly.

"Are you _insane_?!?"

"Yep! Would you wake Naruto?"

Sakura stood and kicked her comrade as she stretched. He snorted loudly, but didn't wake up, turning over instead. She sighed and shook her head. "Naruto! Breakfast!" she said in his ear.

"What? Where?" He shot up, knocking Sakura over in the process.

"You're awfully cheerful, after what happened last night " Naruto commented after breakfast.

Quidam stopped packing her bedroll and sighed, "I was hoping you wouldn't bring it up, she said dully, staring at the ground.

"Well? You said you'd tell us in the morning," he reminded her.

She looked around at the others. They were staring at her expectantly. She sighed again and shut her eyes.

"It was the day I found my village," she began quietly, "That's how it started out, anyway. I was at my parent's grave, then I was hiking down the mountain. When I reached the village, though, it was totally engulfed in flames. I could hear my friends and family screaming," She drew he knees up to her chest and hugged them tight. Her navy-blue eyes looked haunted as she stared at nothing

"I tried to help them, but I was chained. All I could do was watch them die," she whispered, subconsciously rubbing her wrists, "Around the fire were the bodies of other people, the ones from the village we passed yesterday . . . I-I can't help but feel I'm responsible for all their deaths," Her voice was now taking on a frightened, panicky note.

"Is that the reason you threw up?"

"Sort of . . . I hadn't actually seen my villagers die; I had come back to find a dying fire, and no one left alive. I don't know what prompted me to dream that," Quidam was shivering, fear seeping into her bones. The others found all this very disturbing.

The rest of the day had a rather melancholy air.

**Author's Note:** I don't really like the way her dream turned out, but that's the best I could do. It's another one of those things where you know what happens, but can't explain it . . . I hate that. Sakura's pep-talk was a bit difficult, too.

Okay, a friend of mine has been pushing for a Naruto/Quidam pairing, and I'm at a point where I could begin to hint at it.... So tell me what you think, then I'll think about what you think and then I'll go with whatever I think about what you guys think.... I'll just stop now . . .

**BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil** Yeah, I just _had _to do it to Naruto. Actually, I don't think Sasuke would have done it if he had been in Naruto's shoes, he's too careful. But just you wait, I have other things in store for Sasuke . . . MWA HA HA HA HA! (Oh my . . .) / (Itachi smile)


	13. Attacked!

**Chapter 14: Attacked!**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

**Warning:** Filthy words in use!

The days quickly fell into routine: wake up, have breakfast, walk, rest, walk, lunch, walk, rest, walk, supper. Quidam and Kakashi always woke up before the others, and always ate dinner after them.

Quidam rarely slept, always taking the first watch and "forgetting" to wake up the next person. The one time she did try to sleep, she awoke in a cold sweat, and took over from Sasuke. When ever one on the others were stirred from sleep, they would find her in an odd trance. She would be hunched over, eyes half closed, barely breathing. Naruto tried to get her attention once, and succeeded in almost getting himself killed.

"_Geeze_, Quidam! If you're not a morning person, just tell us!" he whispered loudly from the ground, looking up the blade of the katana pointed at his nose.

"Oh god, I'm sorry!" she said, sheathing the blade and helping him up, "But the next time you want to wake me up, don't grab me! Say my name or something so I won't spaz!"

Around a week after the started out, and were nearing the Konoha-Suna border, the group began to feel uneasy. When they reached a forest, they agreed to scout around before entering. They drew straws, and Quidam and Sasuke went ahead.

The forest was silent, the shady canopy letting the occasional ray on sunlight filter through. Despite the pleasant weather, the uneasiness grew. The pair kept feeling something's gaze on their backs, but would turn only to see foliage.

"We need to get out of here," Sasuke whispered to Quidam, "Something's following us, and I don't know what!"

"Yeah," she agreed, "I'll feel a lot better if we circle around,"

"Think about how much time that'll take," he reminder her.

"I know, but I can't kill Mamba if _I've_ been killed before him! We'll figure things out with the others, let's just get _out_ of here!"

Sakura stopped pacing and flopped down on the ground, "What's taking them so long?" she asked the sky.

"We'll wait a bit longer," Kakashi decided, "10 more minutes. If they don't show, we'll go look for them."

"AAHHHH!" Pain shot like fire through Quidam's left arm. A shuriken had scraped her shoulder and struck into an adjacent tree. She was ashamed of herself for yelling so loud, but the way the wound burned meant the weapon could only be made of one thing. Laughter surrounded Sasuke and Quidam as they hurried to stand back-to-back and draw weapons.

"Shoe yourselves, you fucking cowards!" she snarled, blood still dripping from the throbbing wound.

"What the hell?" Sasuke exclaimed as three blurs appeared and began to circle them.

"Greetings from Mamba," one voice hissed.

"He regrets to inform you that he won't be able to meet you personally. Not yet, anyway," said another.

"So he sent us, instead," the third finished.

"Well tell Mamba to kiss my ass!" Quidam retorted furiously.

"I wouldn't be so cocky," The first voice said, "We know your weakness,"

The blurs stopped suddenly, revealing themselves to be three ninja clad in black, each with a red band around the fore-arm.

"Our orders are to bring you to him, whether you come willingly or not."

"And if I don't?"

"We will incapacitate you by any means necessary,"

** Five minutes before **

"AAHHH!"

The scream was still echoing through the trees when Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura sprang up and ran into the forest, splitting up and they did so.

It was all Quidam and Sasuke could do to dodge the projectiles at them. Mamba's ninjas were whirling around faster then before, freezing for seconds as if to tease their prey, before starting up again. Sharingan and Nagnirahs eyes were spinning faster then ever, but even then, Quidam and Sasuke were having a hard time.

"Sasuke! Can you pinpoint them?" Quidam asked desperately, ducking as a kunai sailed past her head.

"No, dammit! They're too damn fast!"

Suddenly he was struck from behind and he sprawled on his face. At the same time, Quidam was grabbed roughly around the torso and slammed up against a tree. She shrieked in agony and began calling the ninja names in rather derogatory terms as one stabbed her arm with a sai. The blade sank through her flesh into the wood behind her. Sasuke managed to knock her assailant away, but he wasn't quick enough to grab him before he blurred out again. He stood in front of the girl and tried to deflect the weapons being thrown at her as best he could as the struggled to pull the sai out of her arm.

Quidam strained at the searing iron, but she couldn't pull it out with only one hand. Getting Sasuke to do it was out of the question, and who _knew_ where the others were.

Naruto stalked through the trees, following the faint sounds of fighting. He thought he heard Sasuke, and was debating whether it was a trap or not, when the forest exploded with curses only Quidam could create.

_Nope, that is _definitely_ not a trap!_ he thought when he recognized some of the words he had heard the half-demon utter before. He tore off in the direction of the fighting, disregarding any need for stealth.

As Quidam ran out of names to call the attackers, her anger was swept away by pain and desperation. Sasuke felt the same way. His breathing was ragged, and his arms and legs were nearly numb from all the cuts he had taken deflecting kunai and shuriken.

_Damn it,_ he thought, _Quidam can't get the sai out of her arm, and I can't retaliate unless I can _see_ the bastards! But to see them they'd have to stop _moving_! Wait . . ._ A thought suddenly struck him. He rustled through his weapon bag and found the kunai he needed. Concentrating, he focused his Sharingan directly in front of him. The moment he detected the ninja he flung the three kunai rapidly, one after the other. "Windmill!" he shouted as the last handle left his fingers.

There were curses as the ninja tripped over the string attached to the blades and fell in a heap.

_Not the most dignified interception, but, whatever,_ Sasuke brought out a handful of shuriken and threw them at the men, some missing their target, others not. There were more curses and hisses of pain as they struggled to stand, stepping on each other in the process.

"Baka," one snarled.

"Bastard," another growled, holding his bleeding shoulder.

"Not so tough once you've stopped moving, Sasuke said coolly, producing more kunai. He began chucking the blades at his opponents, but soon realized his folly. Dodging the attack gave them a perfect excuse to start moving at mach one again.

"_Really_, Sasuke," came a voice from the left, "I thought you were smarter then that!"

"Quidam, I've got some bad news, and some worse news," Sasuke said calmly, jumping out of a kunai's path.

"What?" The girl's voice was laced with pain.

"We're surrounded, and you're pinned to a tree,"

"No shit! So what's the bad news?""

"That was the bad news,"

"_WHAT_! So what the hell's the _worse_ news?"

"Naruto's come to save us,"

"THAT'S _BAD!_" Her voice was edging on hysteria.

"Usually,"

"Aw, come on Sasuke, you've gotta give me _some_ credit!" The blonde appeared beside him, trademark kunai between his teeth.

"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke snapped, "This is no time for jokes!"

"LOOK WHO'S TALKING YOU FRIGGIN' HYPOCRITE!" Quidam yelled.

"Let's not panic —"

"SHUT UP! JUST GET ME OUT OF THIS!" Yes, Quidam was _definitely _hysterical.

"God, Sasuke, why haven't you helped her?"

"I'VE BEEN SORT OF BUSY!" It was Sasuke's turn to yell as he danced around, away from the sharp, pointy projectiles.

"No need to yell! You help Quidam, I'll take care of these bozos," With that, he replaced his kunai and turned to face the enemy.

"Baka," Sasuke muttered as he began pulling on the sai. As the blade came free, an odd incantation was heard:

"TEMPTATION NO JUTSU!"

Sasuke practically screamed in terror, covered his face and buried his face in the in the nearest head-height object, which happened to be Quidam's shoulder. Quidam looked at Sasuke, cowering in fear. She looked at the attackers, sprawled out, blood pumping profusely from their noses. She looked at Naruto.

Then she _looked_ at Naruto. Or the person who had taken his place. She was staring at a pretty, blonde — voluptuous — young woman. With a poof she was gone, Naruto back. Quidam blinked. She blinked again. Then she collapsed, laughing as she went.

"That's _great_!" she said, pain momentarily forgotten. She was giggling like a school girl, tears streaming from clear blue eyes.

"Y-you like that?" Naruto looked sheepish and embarrassed at the same time. Quidam couldn't answer, she was laughing so hard.

"Is it gone?" Sasuke asked.

She nodded and laughed even more. She laughed as Sasuke chewed Naruto out for using the jutsu, ("What? It _worked_, didn't it?"). She laughed when Sakura showed up, ("What the hell happened here?"). By the time Kakashi arrived, her mirth had died down somewhat, over taken by the pain, but she still broke into the giggles every so often.

**Author's Note:** Pardon Quidam's potty mouth, it was the only way this chapter would work! Quidam and Sasuke were very much out of character this chapter but, oh well, it was fun to write! One more thing: is it "temptation" or "sexy no jutsu"? From what I gather, it could go either way, so please tell me!

**HikaruOfArrow** You're sick? Oh no! Get better soon!

**BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil** Evil? I thought so, tee hee!

**Zsych** Yes, Kyubbi will show up soon, (soon for me, anyways, I'm a few chapters ahead of you guys). I'm rather reluctant to continue, though, 'cause Kyubbi's the one character I do _not_ want to screw up! Does he take a woman's form in Japanese or Naruto mythology? If it's the latter, I've already screwed him up . . . Actually, the reason there are no guns, (in my fic, anyways,) is because no one's thought up the concept. They could easily make them, but they don't really need guns, right? If they had them, ninja's would be out of a job!

**Manatheron** Wow, that's a good point! You know, you're the only person who's told me whether or not they want Q/N, (HINT HINT, NUDGE NUDGE) If I _do_ do Q/N, it'll only be hinted at in this story, and be more tangible in the sequel . . . If I do a sequel.


	14. Suna

**Chapter 15: Suna**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

**Warning!** Run-on sentences!

The bleeding wouldn't stop. She held the gash as if to stop the flow, but it trickled between her fingers and down her arm, forming a small pool at her feet.

"Why won't it heal" Naruto asked, helping Quidam stay sitting up.

"The iron" she answered, shutting her eyes against a wave of dizziness.

"The iron"

"Everything has a weakness, whether emotional or physical. My father's weakness just _had_ to be a metal common in weapons. It's sort of like and allergy. If I touch it, it burns, if it cuts me, the healing properties in my blood die"

"So if you get seriously hurt, it won't heal" Sakura asked worriedly as Kakashi brought out a roll of bandages.

"Just around the wound. It will heal over time, anyways."

"Either way" Kakashi said, wrapping linen around her arm"neither you nor Sasuke are fit for travel; for the rest of today, anyways."

Quidam nodded in submission"What do we do with these guys" She glanced at Mamba's ninja, now tied to a tree, still unconscious.

"We _could_ just leave them" Sasuke glared at the men as he applied pressure to some of his shallower cuts.

"They'd probably get out somehow" Kakashi said, tightening the bandage despite his patient's protests.

"Ow! not so tight"

They all stayed near the fire that night; Quidam actually slept. When it was Naruto's watch he noticed her brow furrow occasionally, but there was no reoccurrence of the first night on the road.

The next morning, after much debate, the decided to leave the ninja there, but used and extra length of rope as a precaution. The men were awake by now, but all they could do was glare, as Sakura had broken and instant raman package into three pieces and stuck one in each mouth.

"Chew slowly" she told them pleasantly, as she and the others left"Who knows when your next meal will be"

"Biff" one managed to respond, before gagging on the uncooked noodles.

A day or two and a roll of bandages later, they reached the Suna border.

"This isn't what I thought it would look like" Naruto remarked as they walked through the thinning trees.

"What were you expecting" Quidam asked, laughing"A line with trees on one side, and desert on the other"

"Well, I had hoped for something a little more definite"

As the day progressed, the few trees gave way to long grasses and desert brush. Finally, they reached a brook which seemed to be the line between life and desert. Beyond the west bank was nothing but a sea of sand.

"What now" Sakura asked.

"We wait" Quidam answered, plopping down beside the stream.

"Wait for what"

"A caravan"

"Why do we need a caravan" Sasuke asked, dropping his pack.

"What, you think we'd get across that alone" she replied, gesturing to the golden dunes"If you're gonna cross a desert, better do it with people who have lived in it all their lives. I've crossed this country twice, and I _know_ I would've died if I hadn't hitched a ride with locals."

"So we just sit here, then" Naruto assumed.

"Yup"

The rest of the day was rather uneventful, except for a water fight. It had begun with Naruto and Sakura bickering over something pointless, which led to them splashing each other. By then they had forgotten whatever it was they had been arguing about, and plotted to make Quidam and Sasuke unwilling participants; which in turn led to all four teens splashing each other and generally acting like four-year-olds. Kakashi watched all of this with his characteristic half-open eye, content to stay dry. The battle was brought to an abrupt halt, however, when someone, (later suspected to be Sasuke) made a particularly large splash and hit the older shinobi.

His eye narrowed to a slit as he glared at them through dripping hair"I hate you" he stated simply, before turning his back to the guilty (**AN:** Yeah, right) looks.

The water stopped flying after that, although Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura had a quiet laugh over the tone Kakashi had use, identical to the one he had used the day they hit him with an eraser, all those years ago.

Quidam stared into the flames of the camp fire, as if hypnotized. The sun was setting, turning the sand tangerine and strawberry. There wasn't much noise as her companions did their own activities. Sakura was watching the sunset, Kakashi was reading you-know-what, Sasuke was fiddling with a kunai, and Naruto seemed to be building a sand castle.

Suddenly her ears twitched as she picked up a distant sound. She stood and walked over to Sakura, looking to the horizon.

"What do you see" Sakura asked quietly.

"Nothing, yet" Quidam answered, shielding her eyes against the last rays of sun"There" She pointed to dark shapes emerging from behind a dune, casting long shadows.

"What _is_ that" Sasuke asked, going up to the girls.

"It's a caravan"

"But what are those strange shadows"

"It's the animals they ride. They're called camels" Then she shouted something and waved her arms as the line of camels turned towards their campsite. A faint call was heard over the dunes in response. Quidam sighed in relief.

"Good, I know them"

"Would there be a problem if you didn't?' Kakashi asked, shutting his book.

"Well, this way, we won't have to do any paper work"

"Ah"

Soon the group was in the center of a large circle made up of wagons, camels and a few horses. The travelers from Konoha were objects of great interest; while Quidam was welcomed warmly. She explained to the caravan master who they were and why they were with her, and soon they were receiving hug, handshakes and the occasional kiss on the cheek as well.

Later on, after more fires had sprung up and supper had been eaten, the quiet murmur of conversation was heard as people talked. Mothers were rocking infants while men played small board games, or told children stories. Quidam and the others had been joined by a group of teens and young adults who were happily answering Sakura and Kakashi's questions. Sasuke was sitting beside the pink-haired girl rather protectively, glaring as only he could at a black-eyed boy who seemed to be hypnotized by his cell-mate.

"These people" Naruto said to Quidam quietly"They aren't like the shinobi from this country."

"Of course not! They're nomads. Theirs is a different culture entirely."

"So they don't fight like us"

"No, they have their own fighting style, their own spells and incantations. Actually, their magic is along the same lines as my wind serpent spell."

"So no scrolls or hand seals"

"No, just words and the occasional ingredient" Naruto noticed she was sub-consciously trailing her fingers along her tattoos as she said this.

Their conversation was brought to an end when they were bombarded with questions about the status of their mission. It was Sakura's turn to glower when some of the nomad girls gushed over Sasuke and Naruto, some going so far as to make suggestive comments. By the end of the night the boys' cheeks were _very_ red, indeed.

Sakura's day was _not_ going well. Never mind waking up with the sun, (at the un-godly hour of five-thirty), never mind that stupid, pretty brunette who had practically _chained_ herself to Sasuke! What had turned her day positively foul was the camel.

Yes, the camel.

It had started out okay, the nomads had offered to let her ride one of the desert creatures. She thought it'd be interesting and accepted the offer. Bumpiness aside, it was quite fun, for a while, anyway.

Ultimately, though, she decided she preferred walking. But when she got off, she must have done something wrong, because as soon as her feet touched the sand, the animal turned and spat on her.

It _spat_ on her.

Which caused the brunette Sasuke-groupie a lot of mirth, and, for some reason, put a black-eyed boy she faintly remembered from the night before in distress. He kept apologizing, for what, Sakura didn't know, as it had not been his fault. She dully noted Sasuke glaring in her direction.

_Angry with me for making a scene, no doubt,_ she thought bitterly as she sat beside Quidam in the back of an open wagon.

Naruto, on the other hand, had as far as anyone could tell, fallen in love with his camel. It was something about those big pools of brown framed with the two rows of long eyelashes that just captivated him. The camel seemed to feel the same way, and would not let any one else climb on it's back for the remainder of the journey.

The sun was beating down on the back of Sasuke's neck as he rode his mount. It was past noon, the hottest part of the day. His forehead was slick and his headband kept slipping into his eyes. The continuous droning of that annoying brown-hair, which he had blocked out for two hours now didn't help, either. He envied Sakura and Quidam, who were still in the wagon and using the half-demon's cloak as a shade.

Speaking of Sakura, that black-eyed punk was still hanging around her. He was making her laugh! _Damn_ him!

_Not that making her laugh has ever been in _your_ department,_ he thought to himself. Oh well, at least she wasn't casting wistful glances his way, her attention taken up by the other boy. Now that he thought about it, though, he didn't like the idea of his team mate with anyone else. Sasuke shook his head, the sun must have addled his brain.

The day ended with a bang. Quite literally, as Sasuke had begun to doze, and slipped off his camel's back, landing in a cluster of small, spiny plants. This seemed to signal a halt, and everyone began to unpack their wagons, while the brunette fussed over Sasuke. She couldn't pull him out, and succeeded in just making things worse.

Sasuke was just about to give into self-pity when Quidam and Naruto hooked him beneath the arms and pulled him out.

"Ohh" Quidam winced"That doesn't look good"

"Wha — OW" Sasuke tried to straighten up, but had to bend back down because of a severe pain in his rear.

"Dude, your butt is a pin-cushion" Naruto informed him. He groaned.

"I suppose we'll have to pull those out" Kakashi observed.

"I'll do it" the brunette piped up.

"_No_ you will _not_" Sakura fumed. Sasuke silently thanked the pink-haired girl, even as his cheeks flushed, realizing there was a substantial group staring at his behind.

"What she _means_, Seekah" Quidam cut in"Is we don't think Sasuke would appreciate this sort of help from anyone but people he knows really well"

"Oh, okay, Mata Escura" Seekah walked away, but not before casting one last wistful look ant Sasuke.

** A painful 30 minutes later **

"I think that's all of them" Kakashi said finally.

"I hope so" Naruto complained.

"Thank God" Sasuke sighed, moving stiffly to sit down.

"_Uhn_" he let out a colourful word, reached behind and pulled out the final spine.

"Is that it _now_" Quidam asked cheekily. Sasuke glared at her, and lowered himself more carefully onto the ground.

**Author's Note: '**Kay, I'm assuming it doesn't take much more than a week to walk from Konohagakure to the Suna border. Sasuke was a bit out of character again, but oh well . . . Since I don't know a heck of a lot about Suna, I decided Quidam and the others would travel with nomads, that way I wouldn't butcher Masashi Kishimoto's work too much. Hopefully it works. (That was a long chapter, wasn't it?)

One more thing, I'm just gonna go with the N/Q pairing, 'cause it's sort of partially written anyways. Thanks for all who put in their opinion!

**sangolover:** Thanks for the review!

**maxhrk:** So, is that a "yes" vote? I'll take it as a yes!

**cocoa-latte:** Glad you like them and thanks for the comment!

**BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil:** Yes, it was stupid, but really, I have to do _some_ stupid

stuff, don't I? Besides, it probably _was_ the only thing that would have worked!

**Manatheron:** Sasuke wasn't OOC with the jutsu, I just didn't think out favorite Uchiha would engage in a semi-shouting match, (unless it's Naruto, but that's a different story) especially since it was _him_ making _her_ spazz by being a smart-ass, which I don't think he usually does . . . Oh _God_ no! No no no! I will most defiantly _not_ be doing that pairing! Anyway, I don't think Lee would like Quidam very much, as I'll explain later. Thanks for that last remark, by the way!


	15. Nothing happens in this chapter, but tha...

**Chapter 16: Nothing happens in this chapter, but that's okay, 'cause it's sort of like a transitional phase to show you how we get to the next part, otherwise no one would know what was going on.**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

"Ow, ow, OW!"

"What? You wanna get gangrene?" Naruto glared at Quidam as he held her arm in a death grip.

"No, but it still hurts!" she answered, trying to pull her arm out of his grasp.

"That's a good thing," he told her as he dribbled the last of the iodine solution on her sai wound, "It means the germs are dying!" She growled at him, then shut her eyes tight as the tingling pain washed over her again.

"There," he said, and placed the now-empty bottle in the sand beside him. The iodine had lasted the whole week since Quidam had been stabbed.

"That means no more, right?" she asked hopefully.

"Until we find some more,"

She scowled, "I hate you,"

"Yes, yes, that's lovely," he said absently as he pulled out a fresh roll of bandages, "Now don't move, or you'll let the sand in,"

The caravan wasn't moving due to a sand storm. Naruto and Quidam were sitting behind a wagon, out of the wind's path, and huddled under her cloak to keep the sand out of her wound. Normally, Sakura would help the other girl re-dress her arm, but Quidam had gotten difficult the last few days, tiered of the anti-bacterial stuff. So Sakura had to have Naruto do it, because he was the only one strong enough to hold the girl down _long_ enough.

"The healing properties must be coming back," he commented as he carefully wrapped the gash.

"How can you tell?"

"The cut isn't so large any more," he said, tying the bandage, "Done!"

"Thank you," Quidam said softly as she flexed her arm to get used to the wrapping.

"Was that so hard?" Naruto asked her, "It's only been, what, six times now?" he added as he picked up the bottle beside him. She gave him a look that said, "Hell, yes!"

"Geeze!" he laughed, "You're the most stubborn person I've ever met! And that's saying something, 'cause Sasuke's pretty damn stubborn!"

Quidam looked at him for a moment then, from what he could tell, smiled. Her eyes were blue, anyway, instead of a dull, indiscernible colour. They stared at each other for a while, before an awkward silence accumulated.

"We — we should go to the others," she said, looking away as her eyes began to flash nervously.

"Yeah, okay,"

The wind still howled, the sand tearing at anything it could get at as Quidam pulled her cloak off Naruto and put the hood over her head.

"Mmmf gawnamf um fanmf ifn oo!" He commented from behind his hands.

"What was that?" she asked, throwing the cloak over his head again.

"I said," he paused, spitting out sand, "I said, I wish I had a mask like you,"

"Here," she said, adjusting the black cloth so it covered his mouth and nose and hung almost past his eyes, "Better?"

"He nodded, and they walked around the wagon to see dark shapes visible through the sand. _That was quick_, Naruto thought as they reached the first tent.

"Which one's ours?" Quidam asked, peering out from under her hood.

"That one," Naruto pointed to the shape that was slightly red.

"How can you tell?"

"Buttercup's in front of it,'

"You _named_ the camel!"

"Well, yeah," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Quidam shook her head and started walking, but had to slow down when she almost strangled the blonde. Finally, they reached the tent and entered quickly. It was a large dwelling, housing the leader of the caravan and his extended family, as well as the five travelers. There was a brief silence when the occupants spied the odd pair, but went back to their activities when they saw it was just Naruto tangled up in Quidam's cloak.

They slowly made their was over to Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke, talking to people as they went. They were in no hurry, as the two gennin seemed to be in a heated discussion. Their suspicions were clarified when they noticed the jônin edging away from his students ever-so-slowly.

"What are _they_ so worked up about?" Naruto asked as he and Quidam sat down a little-ways away from his bickering team mates.

"Dunno," his teacher answered, coming over to join them, "Something about a guy who's been hanging around Sakura a lot,"

"Why would Sasuke care? He didn't even _notice_ when Rock Lee liked her,"

"True, but that was five years ago,"

"So?" Kakashi just shrugged.

"Who's Rock Lee?" Quidam asked, wanting to keep talking so she wouldn't be tempted to eaves-drop.

"He's one of Gai's students,"

" . . . Oh,"

"Aw, he's not half bad," Naruto told her, "A bit loud, maybe. He probably wouldn't like you, though,"

"Why not?"

"You beat his idol," Kakashi said, laughing, "If you come back to Konoha, he'll probably challenge you!"

"Mm," The half-demon looked down at her hands. The other two found it odd that she wasn't meeting their eyes.

"Mata Escura!" They looked up to see the caravan leader striding over to them, "The storm is letting up, but I think we'll stay here for the night. You'll be able to take your leave of us tomorrow at around mid-afternoon."

Thank you, Saniiro-sama," she said, bowing her head.

"Why do they call you that?" Naruto asked as the man left. Quidam shrugged.

"Mata Escura means 'Dark Forest' in a very old tongue. They called me Escura at first, but after hearing my story, they added Mata."

"Is there a reason they gave you this name?" Kakashi looked intrigued.

"Because of their natural surroundings, they find forests strange, mysterious, which was there first impression of me. Once I told them bout my past, how dark it was, how dark _I_ was, they decided it was only fitting."

"That's so _cool_!" Naruto exclaimed.

"You think so?"

"Well, yeah! The most meaningful nickname _I_ ever got was 'Class Dunce'!"

Quidam laughed, "Really?"

"Yeah, and you can't really count Sasuke's names for me,"

"Which are . . ."

"Idiot, Nuisance, Dead-Last, other nice things that make you all warm and fuzzy inside,"

"He hasn't called you those in a while, though," Kakashi observed, "Although it may be because you're taller then him now,"

Quidam smiled as she watched the older shinobi dodge the punch from his protégé.

It was noon the next day. Death's mountains loomed in the distance, about half a day's walk away. The travelers were saying good-bye to the nomads and receiving last-minute provisions. As Naruto was giving Buttercup one last ear-scratch, Sakura picked up one of the water canteens.

"I'll just be a minute," she told her companions. Everyone stared as she did the unthinkable: She walked willingly up to her arch-nemesis, the damned camel. They glared at each other for a moment, before the human took a swig of water, spat it in the animal's face and turned around without looking back. The nomads laughed and applauded as Sakura bowed in response.

"That was _very_ immature, if I _do_ say so myself," Naruto commented.

"I don't care, it was _fun_!" Sakura grinned maliciously as they walked towards Death.

The sun was just beginning to set when they reached an empty way-station about a mile from the Suna-Death border.

"Should we stay here, or keep going?" Kakashi asked as they all fond comfortable spots in the shade.

"I think we'd better stay here," Quidam said, stretching out on the sand, "If we keep going, we'd have to camp in the Fringe, and some pretty big things come out at night in that territory." No one had to ask her what she meant.

They had all slipped into a relaxed stupor when Quidam suddenly shot up into a crouching position. She let loose a strand of the dirtiest four-letter words yet as her ears quivered.

"Oh hell, no. Not here, not now," she whispered to herself, "Stay sharp, everyone," she told them as she loosened her katana in it's sheath, "Don't attack unless he attacks first," While the others wondered at what she was thinking, two figures came up over the dunes.

"Well, well. Fancy meeting _you_ here, little cousin."

**Author's Note:** Ohh! Cliffie! And that'll be all for about two and a half weeks, 'cause I'm going to the Philippines on a mission's trip! Good thing, too, I haven't been writing that much and need the chance to get ahead of you guys again . . . ;

**BrokenAngel,ForgivenDevil:** Glad you liked it! I sure had fun writing it/

**Manatheron:** Actually I started reading the first book of that series, but never finished it. Traveling people be some odd things? We'll see. (Hope this chapter answered your Q/L question, by the way.)


	16. The Trouble with Relatives

**Chapter 17: The Trouble With Relatives**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

Quidam stood up slowly, stiffly, "Raiden, how . . . _nice_ to see you," she spat, forcing the words out as if against their will.

As the two figures came down the side of the dune and out of the setting sun's glare, they saw they wee a man and a woman. Raiden, the man, had shaggy hair the colour of a new kunai and wore a shirt the shade of oxygen deprived blood. His tight black pants and boots shone red in the last rays of daylight. A knife was tucked very noticeably in each boot, and the bag attached to his belt, actually his headband, clanked with other such weapons. His eyes were dark and cold. The woman's long platinum hair was kept in a tight braid down her back, the excess bangs held at bay by her own head band. She wore a maroon shirt with baggy sleeves, khaki pants and black boots. As far a weapons went, all that was visible was a kunai strapped to her left leg and an oddly-shaped knife on her right arm. Both of the lynx demons, for that is what they were, had black around their eyes that bled in several places, like Quidam's, except theirs seemed natural. They also had black markings on their pale faces, mimicking those of a real lynx.

"It's good to see you, Quidam," the woman said softly.

"Like wise, Shealam," Quidam nodded to the other demon before returning her wary glare to the man.

"What, no warm reception for me?" Raiden asked snidely.

"You know very well why I hate you," she replied, as calmly as a glacier and just as coolly.

The human portion of this bizarre group were carefully getting ready for a fight without attracting too much attention. Sasuke and Kakashi were prepared to switch their Sharingans on at any moment, while Naruto and Sakura were slowly opening their weapon bags.

"It's not my fault your blood is tainted," the demon taunted.

"Oh I don't know, Raiden," she shot back, "It seems to me that you're just jealous that old Kamimoto chose me over you to receive the serpent," At this comment his eyes began to flush, turning the colour of his shirt.

"And I'm _sure_ you've been using it to help filthy _humans_," he hissed, "You're just like your father,"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Her voice had become low and dangerous. Her eyes were starting to show a hint of crimson as she stared at her cousin.

"My eldest uncle was weak, with that ridiculous soft spot for lesser beings. And I see," he continued, looking over her shoulder, "That you are following in his footsteps. Tell me," he asked, crossing his arms and cocking his head, "Why do you favor these weaklings so?"

"Raiden stop it —"

"It's because," Quidam said, raising her voice slightly to interrupt Shealam, "humans have treated me far better than demons ever did!"

"Ah, I see," he said smirking, "You're more like your father than I thought. So," he scanned the group behind her, "Which one treats you the best? Which one's yours?"

"Just what are you implying?"

"Is it the tall one?" he asked, ignoring her, "He would be lots of fun to play with —"

"_RAIDEN!_" Shealam cried.

"— but you probably find him too old for you," Quidam's fists were clenched — "How about the dark one?" — nails digging into her palms — "He's a pretty thing," — drawing blood — "But I think it's the light one," — blood running off her knuckles — "There's something . . . demonic about him," — red drops falling to the sand — "So tell me, little cousin, which one have you chosen to spawn another abomination with?"

"Abomination? You're one to talk," Her words were shaking with suppressed rage, "From what I hear," she added as the black around her glowing eyes began lengthening at the corners into her hair, "The only reason _you're_ around is because your father went into rut and the only thing around at the time was a low-class female!"

Raiden spluttered, "You little —"

"You may call me an abomination, but at least _my _mother spawned me willingly, where as _yours_ was just driven by some feral sex-craze!"

It was amazing how fast his eyes could change from anger to sheer malice, "Would you talk so bravely if there weren't four experienced shinobi behind you?" he asked as he raked his gaze over them again.

"Damn straight,"

"Somehow I doubt it," Slowly, he began walking towards her, "What's say we eliminate them?"

"Touch them and die!" The half-demons voice was suddenly harsh and quivering with power. Raiden stopped advancing and frowned as her silver streaks slowly became the dominate colour in her hair.

"He's activate her demon blood," Shealam said quietly. Team 7 jumped, they hadn't noticed the girl come up to them.

"What can we do?" Sakura asked, shivering.

"I could take care of Raiden, but I don't know how to deal with Quidam . . . Wait," she turned to look at Naruto, "_you_ could do it,"

"_What?_"

It was at this moment that Quidam decided to launch herself at her adversary. Raiden hissed angrily at her as he fell back, claw marks raking his abdomen. Indeed, Quidam's fingernails had become hard, curved, black claws. As he clutched the wound, he snarled, baring lengthening fangs. Retractable claws shot out of his hands as inhuman noises emitted from his throat.

"Oh _damn_ it! _Now_ she's done it!" Shealam groaned.

"What's she done?" Kakashi asked urgently as he watched the two fight.

"Because Raiden's mother was a low class lynx, he has a tendency to give into feral instincts,"

"They won't kill each other, will they?" Sakura asked as her eyes grew wider and wider.

"No, they both inherited the healing properties in their father's blood, but they'll do a hell of a lot of damage before one of them gets knocked out,"

"You realize they're slowly coming this way, right?" Sasuke asked, eyeing the battle warily.

The two demons had disregarded, or forgotten, all weapons, instead using only hack and slash methods. At one point Quidam let out a choked cry as Raiden sunk his teeth into her injured arm, but he was flung off when she punched him in the side of the head.

"I think we'd better move," the female said calmly as her cousin skidded to a halt at their feet. They all ran up the side of a dune as Quidam pounced, sinking her claws into the man's shoulders.

"What will happen once one of them is knocked out?" Naruto asked as they watched the tussle continue.

"I have ways to deal with Raiden if he comes out on top, but if Quidam wins, in her state, she may not recognize us and think we are enemies. But you," she turned to Naruto, "there's a power inside you that could take her down. Be ready to tap into it if she attacks," As she said this, she pulled the knife on her arm out of it's sheath, "Yes, I think she will win," Shealam decided, hearing the crack of Quidam's elbow against Raiden's jawbone, "Ready yourselves,"

The next minute was tense as they watched the two cousins hit and cut mercilessly. Finally, when it seemed Raiden might actually win, Quidam brought her knee up and crushed his . . . nether regions . . . and rammed her shoulder into his windpipe. As the man doubled over gagging, she raised her arms and whacked the back of his head with a two-handed fist. He went down and didn't rise.

Quidam's head was bowed, her breathing loud and harsh, limbs quivering. Suddenly, she tensed and slowly turned towards them. Her eyes weren't recognizable underneath the drastically changed black markings. They were wild eyes, swirling with different shades of red laced with gold sparks; eyes filled with feral instinct, hate and fear; eyes that didn't recognize them as friends.

"Now would be a good time, boy," Shealam whispered urgently.

Naruto closed his eyes and slipped away as Quidam took slow, predatory steps, preparing to attack.

_He was standing in that familiar corridor, the sound of dripping water echoing along the walls. His steps were loud as the ankle-deep water sloshed around his feet. He kept walking straight, parallel to the pipes running overhead, until he suddenly turned down one of the many openings in the wall._

"_Kyubbi!" He called, his voice magnified by the smooth walls._

"What do you want boy?"_ came a deep, rumbling voice in response through the darkness._

"_It's time to pay your rent!"_

_The air around him swirled into a sudden gale as a red flame, actually chakra, raced towards him, only to stop at the bars of an enormous cage._

"Why do you ask for it now?"_ the kitsune asked, rising out of the fire to loom over his host._

"_I need it to . . . to keep someone important to me from hurting themselves and others._

Quidam was getting closer. It was only a few seconds after Naruto had gone oddly still.

"What if he isn't in time?" Sakura whispered.

"Then I shall do what I can," Shealam said, stepping in front of her human companions.

_Kyubbi cocked his head to one side and grinned that evil grin of his._

"You're not talking about that demon girl, are you?"

_Naruto glared up at the fox, "Dammit! Just give me your chakra!" she shouted as he felt his cheeks flush._

"About time you got over that pink-hair,"_ the nine-tails commented as fangs of flame snaked between the bars of the cage, _"The lynx will be hard to ensnare, though," _he added, watching his chakra encircle the blonde,_ "Care for some pointers?"

_Naruto had only moments to be disturbed by the demon's odd behavior before his new power whisked him off back to Suna, Kyubbi's laughter chasing him all the way._

Quidam stopped not six feet from the humans and lone demon. _Predator!_ her senses shrieked as an immense amount of chakra appeared, reeking of kitsune.

The eyes that Naruto opened didn't belong to him. Instead of bright blue and round, they were blood-red with silted pupils. The marks on his cheeks had grown, branching out into feathery-like shapes His nails has lengthened, not claws, but imposing none-the-less. His lips puled back, exposing sharp fangs, snarling at the offending lynx. She recoiled at this show of dominance, but hissed her challenge anyways.

The opponents circled each other with the fluid movements of two experienced hunters, each waiting for the other to make the first move. The spectators of this fidgeted and shifted nervously, not liking just standing there, but not wanting to interfere, either.

Finally, Quidam lost patience and slammed her side into Naruto's gut. He just took the blow and flew backwards, landing in a spray of sand. The girl made a satisfied noise, her confidence in her abilities growing. Her eyes narrowed as the fox stood up, as easily as if he had just woken up from a nap, instead of being clobbered by a creature of similar height, if not weight.

He grinned at her. Or was it a leer? Something in between? Either way, it wasn't the kind of expression you wanted to see on an opponent's face. She took an uneasy step back, eyes darting every-which-way. The remaining four up on the hill suddenly posed a larger threat, and in the back of that feral mind, she realized she wouldn't win this battle.

Not that she wasn't gonna go down lightly, of course. The damn fox would have to bring her down kicking and screaming before _he_ claimed victory.

Her mind made up, she crouched low, prepared to take anything the idiot male threw at her.

Sakura's nails were digging into Sasuke's arm, but he wasn't protesting. She decided she would ponder that later, besides, she was watching two friends tear each other to pieces. One she had known for what seemed like forever, the other for less then a month, but whom she had liked from the moment she met her. She imagined the others felt the same way, as they all winced when Quidam made first contact with Naruto.

One thing that the studious girl was beginning to notice, though, was something in the fighter's eyes. Colour-wise, they were almost identical, but behind the colour, they couldn't be more different. Quidam's eye's burned with sheer instinct and bloodlust, whereas Naruto's carried that spark of humanism and higher intelligence.

Now that Sakura thought about it, usually, when Naruto went like this, that spark was absent. That meant that he was still there, using the power, but still calling the shots. She knew Naruto wouldn't hurt Quidam intentionally, which relieved her a bit. Just a bit.

It hadn't hurt when Quidam collided with Naruto, which showed just how much chakra Kyubbi had given him. The lynx looked as if she knew how much he had as well. There was a look in her eyes that mirrored that of a trapped animal knowing it was going to die. Not that he had any intention of even hurting her.

Calculation his next move, he remembered a pressure point that would knock any adversary out for a few hours at least. He planned to use this if he could get behind the half-demon for just a second.

Unfortunately, that was all he could think before he realized Quidam was soaring through the air towards him, claws extended. He side-stepped out of the way just in time, receiving only a slash across the cheek, which healed almost instantly.

As soon as she touched the ground she spun around to face him and slashed at him again. Again, she just missed him as he jumped back a few feet.

_**You won't knock her out that way**, Kit,_ said a voice inside his head.

_Well I don't want to _hurt_ her!_ Naruto responded as he dodged another handful of claws.

**_Idiot! Just _grab _her!_**

Naruto couldn't argue with that logic and prepared to do just as the demon suggested. He watched carefully as the girl turned to attack once again. This time, instead of just dodging her, he kept his right arm out to catch her.

Imagine his surprise when Quidam let out an agonized shriek, mingled with a cry from Sakura and several gasps from the others. Naruto looked at the half-demon. She was clutching her stomach, her breath coming out in short bursts. Then he saw his fingers. His face turned to a mask of absolute horror at the sight of golden-red blood dripping from his nails, down his palm and the back of his hand.

Gently, slowly, he brought his clean hand up and squeezed a point at the nape of her neck. The girl sighed as she collapsed in the sand, crumpled into an almost fetal position, one hand beside her head, the other still over the five gashes on her midriff. Naruto's shoulders slumped as his now blue eyes watched more blood trickle between her fingers, before slowly retracing it's path back into her flesh.

_**Nice one, Kit. That'll win the girl over for sure.**_

Naruto ignored the fox, kneeling beside her instead. _Dammit, Quidam, I'm sorry,_ he thought as he cradled the girl's limp head in his hands.

**Author's Note:** First things first: I am so sorry this chapter took so long! Between me being away, having an enormous writer's block and trying to find time to type . . . Oh well, I'm sure everyone's had that experience. I love his chapter, but I absolutely hate it at the same time. And it's soooo long! I take full responsibility for any burning eyes, cramped necks, or any other injuries related to reading this chapter! One more thing, updates will not be as often as they once were, 'cause you guys have caught up with me!

**cocoa-latte:** Yes, poor Sasuke. . . . Mwa ha ha ha haaa!

**Manatheron:** Well, just a bit of a baby. My theory is, she's not used to pain because of her healing trait, so I suppose she sort of has a right to be a baby once in a while! (Admit it, _you_ hate that stingy stuff too!)

**ArrowOfHikaru:** Thank you!

**Kamu:** Yes, I admit it, I got the idea from Tintin! I couldn't really help it, y'see. My friend suggested having a camel incident, and that was the first thing that popped into my head!


	17. Memories

**Chapter 18: Memories**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

The woman's broken body lay crumpled on the cold stone floor. Her lifeless, half-open eyes still held the remnants of tears that had only stopped flowing moments before. whistled past lips that once rarely frowned but were now swollen, split and bleeding. Dark brown hair that should have been shining in the sunlight had lost all it's luster, becoming a straggled mess soaked in the same red that was smeared all over her pale, naked body. Even through all of that, it was obvious she had been beautiful in life. Now she lay dead, still reaching as if to cover the two pairs of innocent eyes that had watched her suffer.

The children's captors suddenly let them go, and they stumbled towards the woman. The boy cried out in shock and despair when he found she was no longer breathing, but all the girl did was stare at a tall, slender man with golden hair loosely tied back. His eyes narrowed at the look she gave him. It wasn't a glare, but somehow, he knew she had just decided she wouldn't stop chasing him until he was dead. It was a disturbing thought, as the girl was only six years old.

"Release him!" the man said suddenly, wanting to turn the girl's attention away from him.

The girl spun towards another man as her sibling jumped up, away from the woman. This man's once-silver hair was now caked with blood and sticking to his pale, bruised face. His black-lined eyes held nothing but grief as he walked over to the children. Rather, he tried to walk, but it's hard to move when almost every rib in one's body is broken. The children rushed over to him as he collapsed, reaching for the woman's outstretched hand.

The first man watched this reunion with steely, emotionless eyes. A smirk appeared on his thin lips as the broken man began to cry.

"Daddy, don't cry!" the boy said, holding his father's hand, "Uncle Makoto will find us and save us!"

The man just smiled and caressed his boy's cheek before looking over to the girl. She stared back with eyes wide with the horror of seeing tears on her father's cheeks, but when he held out his other hand, she dropped to her knees and hugged his arm, as she wasn't able to embrace his body.

"Listen you two," he said, struggling against the pain in his chest, "I want you to be good for your uncle," His son's hopeful expression slowly clouded as he realized what his father was saying, "I'll be with your mother soon," he continued, as an audible sob escaped his lips, "Ardent, you're the head of the family now. You make sure you take care of your sister,"

"I— I will," the boy nodded, even as tears cascaded down his cheeks.

The man's smile turned into a grimace as he coughed up blood, but he continued to speak, "Your mother and I love you, don't you ever forget that. I only wish I could have been with you longer,"

"_No_, Daddy!" the girl suddenly burst out, "Mother's gone! _You can't leave us too!_"

The man smiled at his daughter as he noticed black markings appearing on her face. He knew she would be safe from the other man, "I love you," he whispered as he slipped off into blissful oblivion.

The fire crackled merrily under the full moon as Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke talked to Shealam. The demon was telling them what to expect in Death, while the humans compared the country to Konoha.

"So Death has no hidden village?" Sakura asked.

"No, shinobi are trained within their own villages, usually by the leader, like Quidam was,"

"But how is peace kept?" Kakashi wondered.

"Just an unspoken agreement that no one tries to take over anyone else. In the odd case where someone tries to go against that agreement, they're always put down. That was the case with a fox named Kyubbi no Youko, I'm sure you've heard of him," At this comment he flashed a look at Naruto.

The blonde was oddly quiet, sitting cross-legged, slightly apart from the others. He kept casting worried glances at the sleeping form beside him. He had expected her to wake up an hour ago at least.

"Naruto, she'll be fine," Sakura said, trying to calm her friend.

"You probably did her a favor," Sasuke added, "I don't think she's had a full-nights sleep since we left Konohagakure,"

"Well, I guess," he agreed, "But that pressure point was only supposed to last for a couple of —" He stopped short when Quidam cried out softly, "Dammit! See? She's probably having that nightmare again!"

The slap stung her cheek, but she refused to show it. Besides, the verbal attacks hurt more.

"Why the hell did you come down here, you filthy half-breed?" one of her cousins, third, twice removed, or something, demanded.

She snorted in disgust, "As if I would come here willingly!" she said as she got up off the ground and dusted herself off, "I was _forced_ to come to this stinking hell-hole by Kamimoto!"

"What the hell would that old bag want _you_ for?" scoffed another cousin, "He's the one that disowned your father in the first place!"

"Why don't you ask him and find out?" she said insolently.

"Watch your tone around your betters, half-breed!" A third cousin joined the fray.

The girl looked at the older demon. He was full-demon, sure, but his steel-coloured hair was the tell-tale sign of someone with a low-class parent. _He should talk,_ she thought to herself as she tilted her chin to look up and meet his eyes. Without further thought, she spat in his face.

The air was squeezed out of her lungs as a fist hit her stomach and sent her flying into a stone wall several feet away. The three demons closed in around her as she coughed, trying to catch her breath.

"Look at you!" the first one goaded, "You're so weak!"

"It's because of her mother," added the second.

"You can just shut the hell up about my mother!" the girl shouted, reaching for her weapon bag.

"What are you gonna do? Kill me?"

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" A new demon had shown up, and she didn't look too happy.

"Oh, hey Shealam. We're just making the half-breed go back to her human family. She doesn't have any reason to be here,"

"You _idiots_!" the female snarled, "Kamimoto wants her here! That should be a good enough reason for any of you!"

"Her father was disowned!"

"Her father was higher-ranking, stronger and a hell of a lot more intelligent then all your fathers combined! Now get out of my sight!" She watched the trio run away before turning to the girl.

"You shouldn't let them pick on you," she said, helping the half-demon up.

"Kinda hard when they gang up," she replied.

"Well, just try to avoid them, then,"

"Why should I do that? Then I really _will_ be weak!"

"Don't you say that!" the demon cried, grabbing the girl's shoulders and looking her in the eye, "You've been through so much more than any twelve-year-old should and come out of it, and you're gonna go through even more, and you're gonna come out of it! So don't you _ever_ say that you're weak!"

"Quidam's father shouldn't really have been disowned," Shealam said as she threw another bundle of sticks on the fire, but when he married her mother, it caused such an uproar in the more obscure branches of the family — who really shouldn't have cared — that the Head had to do something,"

"But why disown him?" Sakura asked.

"In the eyes of the elders, it was unheard of for the heir of the clan to take a human mate,"

". . . Come again?" Sasuke blinked.

"Which part? The heir part or the human mate?"

"The heir part,"

"Quidam's father was the eldest son of Kamimoto, our clan's Head,"

"Meaning Quidam . . ."

"Could be the heir to our clan,"

"Wait a minute, 'could be'?" Naruto piped up.

"Well, actually, she _is_ but I highly doubt she would take the responsibility, even _if_ the cub-clans accepted her,"

"Well, why wouldn't they accept her?"

"In their eyes, she doesn't belong. She isn't human, but she certainly isn't a _demon_, either,"

"But her mother's side accepted her," Naruto argued.

"True, but she wasn't really one of them. She loved those people more than anything, but she still wasn't exactly human. She told me even her nickname was Youkai,

"_Anyways_, her father was going to live with her mother's family anyhow, so he told Kamimoto to just disown him. He was getting tired of all the others bitching on him anyways. My mother was distraught, of course. She adored her eldest brother, as did I," The demon's eyes were sad as she said this, remembering some long-ago event.

"_Quidam!_ Come back here this _instant_!"

The girl turned around to face the speaker. Although he didn't look it, he was at least a century and a half old. His off-white hair shone in the light of the empty chamber, framing his pointed ears and fathomless eyes.

"I know the thought of taking on this responsibility probably turns your stomach," he began quietly, but was cut off by the adolescent.

"You're asking me — _telling_ me — to become the wielder of the thing that got my parents killed!" She shouted angrily, "Why the _hell_ would those damn elders who have never given me a moments thought suddenly decide to give _ me_ the clan's most 'prized possession'!"

"Because you are the most logical choice,"

" '_Logical choice_"! What, so Maba'll come after me and kill me too? Well, I suppose that's one way to get the filthy half-breed off their hands, without _them_ actually lifting a finger to _do_ it!"

"The Serpent must go to a member of the Head clan. The elders agreed that Shealam, the oldest of the heirs will never be strong enough to sustain the spell, and Raiden is far to corruptible. Besides, he has a rather, shall we say, one-sided view of things. He would probably use it to wreak havoc amongst the humans. But _you_, you _will_ be strong enough, and you're part of both the demon _and_ the human race. The one person who want the spell you hate with all your being.

"That is why they chose you, Quidam. They know you will never abuse the power you will be given. Is that a good enough reason to accept the responsibility?"

The girl's defiant demeanor had disappeared, replaced by something akin to shame. Slowly, she nodded. The demon smiled and stepped closer to his granddaughter.

"I want you to know," he said, tilting her chin so she would look at him, "I am very proud of you," She didn't say anything, but nodded again, "Are you ready?" The nod came once more.

"Very well," he stepped away from her and pulled out a kunai. He slit deep gashes on his thumbs, then ran them along the twin serpents adorning his arms. The red amber stripes stayed there for a moment, before seeping into the tattoos. Slowly, the black faded, until all that was left were words written in an ancient kanji.

The girl swallowed, took a deep breath, and began to read. An incantation was inscribed on his right arm, items on his right. As she read the final words — _fish scales—_ her breath caught in her throat. A tingle in her limbs had turned into a white-hot pain.

Her breath loosened, and she screamed.

Quidam's eyes snapped open, her cry still ringing in her ears There were stars in the sky, and a faint red glow told of the last embers of a fire just out of sight. She winced as she noticed her stiff back, clearly she had been on the lumpy sand for quite some time.

Speaking of which, her scream must have woken the others. She rolled onto her side to find herself almost nose-to-nose with a sleeping Naruto. Evidently, she hadn't cried out loud. That was a good thing, she supposed. At least the others wouldn't think she was a _total_ nightmare-phobic.

She sat up slowly and looked around. To the right of the fire slept Kakashi, to the left, Sasuke and Sakura. Directly across from her was Shealam, sitting in the same position that Quidam usually adopted at night. The demon's oddly-shaped knife was unsheathed and glinting in the moonlight. Beside it was Raiden, either asleep or unconscious. Quidam assumed it was the latter, as she doubted her cousin would willingly sleep beside humans.

She resisted the urge to kill the bastard, instead of trying to remember why _she_ had been knocked out. She recalled seeing red, and wanting to rip Raiden's throat out, then hitting him over the head. But what had happened after that?

Her gaze went back to Naruto. _Oh, right,_ It was hard to believe the sleeping boy with that half-smile some get when they dream was the same as that powerful demon-like fighter that had nearly ripped her stomach out.

_Stomach . . ._ She looked down at her torso to the remains of her shirt. She groaned, and reached for her pack. She hated sewing.

**Author's Note: **Wow! There's, like, a billion things wrong with this chapter! Well, not a billion, but you get my drift. The little interludes didn't turn out the way I wanted at _all_, and I cut the chapter off sooner then I would have liked, but I figured 10 pages hand writing) was long enough! Anyways, enjoy.

**cocoa-latte:** Thank you! Of course I will!

**littleanikaze:** Thank you!

**KunochiDreamer:**

**Manatheron:** Actually, FF deleted chapter 9, (you know, the really short chapter with the really long title?) and I haven't gotten around to re-posting it. I figured I'd better give this chapter first priority. Well, I'm not sure . . . I seem to recall Naruto falling from a cliff, then getting his "rent" from Kyubbi to summon that frog. I figured if he's the one who invokes the chakra, he would stay sane through it (Hopefully that all made sense.)


	18. Death

**Chapter 19: Death**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

Naruto drifted between the borders of sleep and wakefulness. What had pulled him out of total oblivion? Oh yes, he had felt a warm breath on his face after the chill of the desert night, then heard the faint rustling of someone moving. A barely suppressed curse jerked him into total awareness.

_Well, Quidam must be awake_, he thought to himself, as he opened his eyes . . . And nearly yelled. Two greeny-white orbs were staring down at him .

"Since when do _you_ wake up this early?" came a familiar whisper.

"Quidam? Could you turn out those lights, please? They're creeping me out!"

"You idiot, they're my eyes! What do you want me to do? _Gouge_ them out?"

He blinked his bleary eyes to bring her into focus, "Oh, sorry,"

The girl shook her head and went back to what she was doing. A wave of guilt washed over Naruto as he noticed the sewing needle and torn shirt.

"I'm . . . I'm sorry," he said sitting up, "I didn't mean to hurt you, I just . . . kinda missed,"

Quidam shook her head, "It's not your fault," she replied, "I shouldn't have let Raiden get to me,"

"I don't blame you, though" he told her, "If I were you, I would have snapped way earlier!"

The girl didn't reply, but proceeded to swear again as she stuck her finger with the needle. Naruto watched in fascination for a while, before asking if he could help.

"You really want to? Sewing is hell," she warned.

"Aw, come on!"

"All right," Quidam sighed, "I needed more thread anyways,"

Naruto decided that, all in all, sewing wasn't that bad. Oh sure, he had gotten tangled up in the spool of thread, but once he got into the swing of things, it was rather relaxing.

"Um, Naruto?" Quidam looked up from trying to untangle the spool, "I think you've attached your pants to the shirt,"

Quidam was right, sewing was hell. Maybe he'd take up knitting.

A few hours later, the others woke up to find Quidam curled up on the sand (picking lazily at thread that had been untangled for a while) beside Naruto who was . . . still sewing. They parted company with Shealam and a rather dazed-looking and oddly submissive Raiden, and completed the last few miles to Death.

The border between the two countries was very obvious. The desert just ended and rock began, like a sea against a harbor wall. The travelers craned their necks, looking up.

"Which one are we gonna climb?" Sakura asked, shielding her eyes.

"That one," Quidam pointed to a peak above all the rest, it's sharp point spearing the blue sky.

"How long will it take to get there?"

The girl shrugged, "Depends on how many things decide to attack us. It's not like we're scaling rock faces, or anything," she added as she went through her pack, "But we _do_ have to cross this peak and the valley after it before we even get to the foot of the mountain we want," She looked up from her bag holding her marked head band.

"Switching?" Kakashi asked as Quidam pulled off the blank one.

"Death citizens believe that anyone living outside of the country are incompetent when it comes to even low-class demons. They think most outsiders would die before even passing the Fringe without a guide. Of course, most of them do, but anyways, me wearing this will save us the hassle of being bothered by anyone thinking to stop us before we're brutally slaughtered," She stopped and looked up at the mountains.

"You know," she said, "You don't have to come any further,"

"NO!" Naruto cried, then stopped when everyone gave him a funny look, "I — I mean, we've come this far, and it'll get even more dangerous the closer we get and . . ."

"Dobe has a point," Sasuke said, dodging Naruto's fist and hitting him back.

"Well," Kakashi sighed, "We'd best get going before they get in a cat-fight — whoops!" He side-stepped his pupil's joint attack as the girls shook their heads and went on without them.

"Hey, wait up!"

"It's still looking at me,"

"Well, ignore it then,"

"I've been ignoring all day!"

They were sitting in a small clearing near the summit of the first mountain. It was near-evening, but Quidam insisted that they reach the other side before night fall. During the hike, though, Naruto had picked up another—albeit unwanted — animal friend.

"Oh, come on Naruto," Sakura cooed, "It's so _cute_!"

"Sakura, it's a _fox demon_!"

"Only a little one!"

"It's still a demon!"

"It's probably a low-class natural cross," Quidam told him, standing up and stretching, "It'll do little more than give you rabies,"

"That's _very_ reassuring,"

"He won't do anything, anyways. We're still in the Fringe, and every one knows that in the Fringe, the big prey is the territory of the big demons,"

"_Why _did you tell me that?"

"As incentive to get over the stupid summit _today_! Once we get there, we won't have to worry about _too_ many big demons wanting to eat us,"

The rest of the hike was fairly silent, except for the odd curse coming from Naruto as the kitsune continued to get underfoot.

They went to bed early that night after Quidam insisted that they begin at first light. Sakura noticed that the half-demon had become distant and was very tense and snappish.

"Why has she changed so much?" she whispered to Sasuke as the stars came out. The black-haired boy looked over are Quidam's silhouette. Her back was to the fire as she stared out across the valley to her mountain.

"She's near her target," he said after a moment, "She's tense with anticipation at the completion of the thing she's dedicated her life to. She's distant because she doesn't want us here, but knows she may need us, so she won't send us away outright,"

Sakura didn't need to ask why her team mate knew this. Instead, she shifted to her other side — and let out a choked gasp.

"What is it?"

"Oh, that stupid fox is looking at me,"

"Just ignore it. Ow!" Sakura hit him.

They woke up before day break because of Naruto's strangled yell. Apparently, the fox had decided that the bottom of the blonde's sleeping bag — _inside_ the sleeping bag — was a good place to sleep. Until Naruto kicked it, that is. Then the animal decided to defend itself, giving him a nice row of teeth marks on his toe.

"I swear I'm gonna _kill_ that thing!" He ranted as they began their treck down to the valley.

"Look on the bright side," Kakashi said, laughing, "At least it wasn't anything _bigger_!"

It was odd to see a village after nearly two weeks of no civilization. It wasn't anything sophisticated, just wood and stone buildings with their own mini hydro generator for electricity. Naruto was practically skipping with glee from leaving the little kitsune at the base of the first mountain, and Sakura was practically skipping with glee at the thought of . . . plumbing.

"You mean we can have a _bath_?"

"Yes, Sakura,"

"A bath not in a _stream_?"

"Yes, Sakura"

"Hey! Who are you?" A young man came up to them, his hand on the hilt of a katana, "How the hell did five outsiders get through the Fringe unscathed?"

"For one thing," Quidam said irritably, stepping up, "I'm not an outsider, and another thing," she leaned in to whisper, "The blonde's the Kyubbi's vessel,"

"Oh! Um . . . s-state your names so we can notify your country should you . . . disappear,"

"Hatake, Haruno, Uchiha and Uzumaki of Konoha,"

"And you?"

"Quidam of the Mountain,"

"Th-that mountain?" he pointed to the peak behind him.

"Yes," The girl replied shortly.

"Well, go on ahead, I guess," he said, and stepped out of their way.

There was one inn in the village, probably run on the income from local customers more than travelers. There was only one room, but it was large enough for the five of them to have their own space. Quidam declined Naruto's request to walk around the village, instead sitting on her futon and sharpening a kunai. When the others returned that evening, they found her already asleep beside a pile of gleaming kunai and shuriken.

Late the next morning, after a hurried breakfast, they came to a deep stream with a wide log as a bridge.

"Don't move!" Quidam snapped as Sasuke made to step on the felled trunk. She opened her pack and pulled out a bundle of rice balls that she had purchased in the village and laid it on the bank.

"Okay, go ahead. Just watch out for the gold fish,"

"_What_?" Sasuke stared at her blankly, then noticed an enormous eye looking at him from the water beneath the log, "Oh God . . ."

"He's a gold fish demon," Quidam explained as the crossed the log, "He'll eat anyone who doesn't leave an offering before using the bridge,"

"Isn't that a bit extreme?" Sakura asked.

"At least this isn't the stream run by the _tuna_ demon. He won't settle for anything less than a bottle of sake,"

Once again, they stood at the base of a mountain and looked up. The slopes were covered in a lush pine and cedar forest that climbed up to the peak. Quidam clenched her fists to keep them from quivering.

"Right, let's go,"

**Author's Note:** There's only one thing I can say . . . I'M SORRY! bows on hands and knees with forehead touching the floor This chapter was finished so late because of various reasons, but mainly because of sheer laziness and forgetfulness , and then it wouldn't up load, and then I had to go to MusicFest . . . I'M SORRY! sobs I'm the scum of the universe, I know! Feel free to throw any inanimate objects at me!

**cocoa-latte:** Thank you!

**hurrahhurrah:** Wow! So many reviews! 3 (Love your pen name, by the way!)


	19. Untitled unless I can think up

**Chapter 20: Untitled unless I can think up a better name.**

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all related characters are copyright Masashi Kishimoto. Quidam is copyright me.

The rat stayed in the tree, watching. The black one matched the description of the half-demon hunting it's master, but the others it didn't recognize. They were human outsiders, that much it could tell. The rodent's mind raced. The master hadn't mentioned the others. Should it report them? No, it decided, the master knew everything, so he must know that they aren't a threat.

With this thought in mind, it scurried off to report to the master's right-hand man.

* * *

They young man surveyed the rodent as it chattered it's findings. Rats weren't the easiest demons to understand, but they served their purpose. He waited patiently. deciphering the information from otherwise meaningless gibberish:

"Intruder . . . black . . . girl . . . lynx,"

The young man's eyes widened. So, she had finally returned. He hurriedly dismissed the rat and prepared to meet her.

* * *

It was nearly evening, and the group had made it three quarters of the mountain. They were in a very large clearing surrounded by cedar, except for an ancient oak in one corner, it's branches splayed out like an umbrella.

"Quidam, where exactly was your village located?" Sakura asked as they prepared their campsite. The half-demon froze for a moment.

"You're standing in it," she replied bluntly.

The others did a double-take of the clearing. Now they noticed the odd piles of rocks that could have once been the foundations of buildings, and nearly-decayed logs that may have been the beams of houses.

Actually," she continued, "You're in my bedroom," She began walking around, her hands outstretched, as though feeling along a wall, "This was the main room, and that's where the fire place was . . ."

Suddenly, she plopped down beside her pack and pulled out her cup, canteen, and the pouch containing the vials for her spell.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm gonna see what's up ahead," With out ceremony, she dumped a little of each ingredient into her cup and waited.

"What about the scales?" Naruto inquired.

"Don't need them,"

"The blood?"

"Or that,"

"Why not?"

"I'm calling a little one, and I'm not taking over it's mind,"

There was a silence for a time, then a light breeze came wafting over to them. Quidam got up and left the clearing, taking the breeze with her. The others looked at each other for a moment, then went back to trying to light a fire.

* * *

"Where _is_ she? She's been gone for an _hour_!"

"Oh, chill out, Naruto! Nothing's gonna happen to her!" Sakura said.

"What do you _mean_ 'nothing's gonna happen'? When we're _this_ close to Mamba?"

"Quidam can take care of herself," Kakashi said firmly, "Why do you think she's a jônin?"

"True, but she did use that spell . . . " Sasuke mused.

"When she left, she looked as sturdy as ever," Sakura decided, wandering around the clearing, "I doubt it had any affect on her,"

"But what if it _did_?" Naruto countered.

"Why do you worry so — Hey, look at this!" She had stopped under the oak tree, in front of a make-shift alter, "She must have made this," Sakura said in a hushed voice as her team came over.

It was a pile of stones, more than anything. It made a sort of pyramid with a flat top. In the cracks of the tiny memorial were faded pictures — most with singed edges — of smiling people, aged very old to very young. Wooden chimes and flutes hanging from the tree branches played a soft requiem as a wind tossed the whittled instruments around. At the peak of the little structure was a large, flat stone with the words crudely etched into it's smooth surface:

_Revenge will be bitter sweet.

* * *

_

Quidam stopped and leaned up against a tree to catch her breath. This particular breeze just _had_ to be skittish and shy, forcing her to follow it deep into the forest before she could even _speak_ to it. By then she had felt the repercussions of using the spell, and her energy was taxed even more as she began to hike back to the clearing after she had gotten the information she needed.

She shut her eyes and took deep breaths. Weather the trembling was from fatigue or anticipation, she didn't know, but it was difficult to walk when her knees kept knocking together.

"Quidam?"

It was an unfamiliar voice, and yet she felt sure she should know it. Her hand crept slowly to the kunai around her leg. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Oh my god . . ." The words died in her throat as she beheld the young man standing before her.

He was two, maybe three inches taller than her, with a finely toned body. Feathery hair framed a strong jaw. It was all dark brown, except for a thick silver streak over his left eye. His eyes were lined thickly with black, and his lips were coloured entirely with the shade. He was smiling slightly, showing longer-than-normal canines. His nose was slightly off-center.

"It's me, Quidam."

"Arden?" She took a step towards him, unsure of what to do. Her brother, on the other hand — for that is who he was — was slowly walking towards her, hands outstretched. Finally, tears welling up in her eyes, she closed the gap between them with an embrace. She sobbed into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I thought you were dead!" She cried, hiccuping occasionally.

"Why would you think that?" He asked soothingly.

"The last time I saw you, Mamba was taking you away!"

"What do you mean, Quidam? He rescued me!"

Her eyes snapped open. She let his statement sinking as she stared into the depths of his black shirt, "Rescued you from what?" She asked slowly.

"Well, he said he rescued me from you, but I knew you would never hurt me even in that demon form of yours. Later, though, I realized he had saved me from a life of hapless routine and always following orders. Think about it! If I had grown up in the village, I would have become a shinobi, but with no life of my own! I would always have to listen to the Elder, and do whatever task the Elder assigned me to do!"

As he said this, Quidam's eyes shifted slowly to her right. _Damn it!_ There was a red sash tied around his forearm but she had been too enthralled by his face to notice.

"Tell me," she said, gritting her teeth, "How is being Mamba's henchman any different?" With that statement, she shoved him away, as her eyes began to turn deep crimson.

"Mamba's orders aren't just mere trifles coming from an old man —"

"An _evil_ man!"

"Mamba isn't evil —"

"_WHAT!_"

"Mamba is trying to unify this hopeless world we live in! You've heard of these so-called 'exams' the other countries stage! Those mini-wars where they pit children against each other so they can flaunt their respective country's power! If we could successfully unite every country on the continent there would be no need for those, or any other pointless power-struggle!"

"Is that the kind of bull-shit he's been feeding you?" Quidam asked, backing up against her tree as her knees began to shake again, "That all he wants is peace? He's a power-hungry murderer and you know it!"

Arden faltered for a moment, "sometimes killing is necessary —"

"Entire _villages_? Our _parents_? What did they ever do to deserve their fate!"

"Father refused to aid Mamba with the Spell —"

"So he _tortured_ him to _death_?" YOU SAW WHAT HE DID TO MOTHER!" Tears where pouring from her eyes, soaking her mask, "You tell me why _that_ was necessary!"

She would have gone on, but she stumbled and had to hold onto a nearby branch to keep from falling. Arden moved forward, concern in his eyes, but she recoiled.

"Get the hell away from me!" she spat.

"I had hoped you would change your mind," he said sadly, cupping her chin in his hands, "I hope you'll reconsider," He pulled her mask off and kissed her wet cheek, then turned and walked off into the deepening shadows of the forest.

Quidam watched his retreating back with difficulty. Why couldn't she keep her eyes open? Oh yes, she had just spent the last of her energy yelling at her traitorous brother. She knew she had to get back to the others, but the ground beneath her feet just looked too comfortable.

She slid down the trunk of her tree and passed out.

* * *

"She didn't come back last night!"

It was morning, and Naruto had woken up with a start to realize that their party was still one member short.

"_What_?" Sasuke sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"She still isn't here! I _told_ you something happened!"

The others jumped up from their bedrolls and grabbed their weapon bags, cursing all the while.

"Okay, we'll go in pairs," Kakashi said, attaching his bag to his belt, "To the right and the left, but always going up the mountain —"

"No need for that," came a voice from the other side of the clearing.

"Quidam, where _were_ you?" Sakura cried, running to the other girl, "We thought something had happened to you!"

"Something did," she replied flatly, walking past her, "And it made me realize something,"

"What?"

"Go back," she said.

"What do you mean 'go back'?" Sasuke fumed.

"Go back! I —"

"Quidam we've come this far —"

"I shouldn't have let you come this far! It was a mistake to even let you _come_!"

"Quidam —"

"_Go back!_" Her voice cracked as her raw eyes began to fill with fresh tears, "I will not be responsible for _any more_ deaths!"

"Nothing will happen —"

"_You can't guarantee that, Naruto!_ You are to go back!"

"But —"

"That's a order!"

The clearing filled with a painful silence. Sakura's eyes were welling up with tears that threatened to fall, while Quidam's were flowing freely.

"All right, Quidam, "Kakashi said finally, "I won't override another jônin's order. You go on alone. Good luck with your revenge," he added quietly.

Quidam nodded, then turned around abruptly and left the way she had come, not once looking back.

**Author's Note:** . . . There's something about this chapter that I just don't like . . .AHHHHHHH! Once again, I am soooooooo sorry this chapter took so long! I think it's even later than the last one! I _know_ chapter production should have _doubled_ given the fact that it's summer vacation, but all I've managed to produce is this one, and there's only two weeks of vaca. left! X( Do what you will to me :'(

**A Story:** Once upon a time, this story had a 9th chapter with this title: "The Chapter that really isn't a Chapter because nothing happens, and it's too short to be one anyways."

I think we can all tell why deleted it.

For anyone who missed that chapter and is wondering what Mamba's deal is, I've tacked said chapter-ish thing to the end of Chapter 8.

**Something Else: **Reading through this fic, I noticed it's _very_ description-heavy. Unfortunately, I do that without thinking. Are you okay with it, or would you like me to tone it down a bit?

**Also:** I realized this story has a _lot_ more of Quidam than the others. Again, are you okay with this?

Please tell me, I value your opinion so much!

**hurrahhurrah: **Heh heh, I liked it!

**cocoa-latte: **Thanks!

**Chaos-Empersonified:** Yay! A new reader! 3


	20. Farewell for now

Wow . . . How long's it been? I don't even know anymore . . .

In regards to this fic, as you've probably guessed by now, I haven't been writing it. What started out as a writer's bloc I believe turned into a temporary lack of interest which turned into a "what? Oh yeah, that fan-fic I used to write . . ."

Re-reading it, I have to say I find it kinda embarrassing. Not because it's a fan fic, but because the manga has progressed so much and the fact that I feel my writing style has matured since then. I keep thinking, "oh, well that doesn't work", or "what the hell was I thinking?!?!"

Anyways, this is sort of a just-to-let-you-know thing, I will be taking this story off the site soon. I'm not saying I won't ever re-visit this story, but I'll have to plot things out better, or make a truck-load of changes before I do.

Thanks to everyone who read, faved and commented on this fic! See you -hopefully- in the future!


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